FBI Probes case of Handcuffed Black Man Attacked by Mountain View Police Dog
Thursday, September 16, 2004 at 05:58AM
TheSpook
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating
whether two Mountain View police officers violated the civil rights of
a man bitten by a police dog Sept. 4. Patrick Terry of Jacksonville,
Fla., has said he believes the officers targeted him because he is
black. The FBI's inquiry, however, will focus on whether the police
commanded the dog to attack Terry or sought to hurt him in any other
way. FBI Agent Quy said the FBI routinely investigates cases in which
police officers are accused of misconduct. The Mountain View Police
Department also is investigating the incident and reviewing training
for police dogs. Terry was arguing with his girlfriend two weeks ago
when Reuben Gonzalez, an undercover police officer on a bicycle,
stopped them and asked if everything was OK, according to a police
report. Gonzalez thought the situation might involve domestic violence
so he called for backup, and a canine unit drove up. Another officer,
Scott Thomas, got out of the car to help Gonzalez handcuff Terry
face-down. Seconds later, a police dog named Tino escaped from the car
and started biting the back of Terry's thigh, Mountain View Police
Chief Scott Vermeer said.Terry, who had eight stitches removed
Wednesday, accuses the officers of racial profiling and police
brutality and has filed a complaint with the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People. [more
Article originally appeared on (http://brownwatch.com/).
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