This is the moment a police dog was set on a teenager suspected of affray during an arrest – who was left lying on the ground with his underwear showing.
Officers were deployed to Hampton Street in Birmingham on Tuesday following reports of a 17-person brawl, with a dog unit used to bring the situation under control and contain those suspected to be involved.
One arrest was captured by a member of the public as a dog and its handler were seen battling with a man as he lies on the ground, the crime-fighting canine clamping its jaws onto his jeans.
In a 40-second video captured by an onlooker, the man can be seen speaking to the officer with his hands raised, as the trained animal tugs at the legs of his trousers, pulling them down to his knees.
The woman who captured the video says she was worried that the suspect might have come to harm – but police, having reviewed their own footage of the arrest, say the dog performed its duties as it had been trained to.
Police were called to Hampton Street in Birmingham after receiving reports of a 17-person brawl, with a dog unit deployed to bring the situation under control
A police dog and its handler brought one man suspected to be involved in the fight to the ground
Footage captured by an onlooker showed the animal clamping its jaws around his trousers, tugging them down as he raises his hands to the officer
Having reviewed CCTV and its officer’s body-worn camera footage, West Midlands Police says it was content that the dog and its handler used proportionate force in making an arrest
The author of the video, who declined to be named, said: ‘The policeman just set the dog on this guy when there was no need for him to. It seemed to go on for ages.
‘The dog pulled the man’s trousers down to expose him, and its teeth could have slipped away to take the man’s private parts.
‘If the dog had its teeth in his legs or private parts it would have ripped him apart.’
The man on the ground was ‘absolutely terrified’ and ‘begging’ for the police officer to stop the dog, she added.
She added: ‘The guy was shouting, saying ‘ok ok ok’ – and it wasn’t ok.
‘There was no need for it. He’s a young boy. That could have been anybody’s son.’
The witness said that it made her feel ‘absolutely sick’ and that she couldn’t get it out of her mind.
‘I just keep seeing it,’ she said. ‘It makes me feel disgusting.
‘It makes me feel absolutely sick – there is no need for it. I’m not sure what the guy’s done but he doesn’t deserve it.
‘If any kids had been walking past they’d have been scarred for life.’
However, West Midlands Police said it was satisfied the dog was ‘deployed appropriately’ and that the man incurred only a ‘minor injury to his left thumb’ during the arrest.
It did not specify whether the dog was responsible for the unspecified abrasion.
A force spokesperson said: ‘We were called to Hampton Street in Birmingham city centre at around 11.15am on Tuesday to reports that a group of 17 people were fighting.
‘As officers arrived, one man was seen repeatedly kicking and punching at someone on the floor. A dog handler ordered the suspect to stand still before he ran.
‘A police dog detained the man and tugged at his clothing until the dog’s handler had safely detained the suspect.
‘The 19-year-old was arrested on suspicion of affray. He suffered a minor injury to his left thumb.
‘The suspect was de-arrested once his details were taken and he will be interviewed on suspicion of violent disorder in due course.’
Insp Leanne Chapman, from the force’s dangerous dog unit, added: ‘Every month, our dogs are deployed to well over 1,000 incidents across the West Midlands.
‘They and their handlers are trained to support their colleagues to protect the public, and know to use proportionate force to reduce the risk to others.
‘Having reviewed CCTV and body-worn footage showing more of the incident, we are satisfied that the dog was deployed appropriately to detain a suspect and help bring a violent situation under control.’
