‘I will blow your dog away,’ San Francisco officer tells man before shooting
‘I will blow your dog away,’ San Francisco officer tells man before shooting
(Warning: Police body camera video above contains content some may find disturbing.)
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) officer tells a man, “Your dog is going to get shot,” in video that shows the man nonchalantly walking up a street with his unleashed dog.
“I will blow your dog away,” another SFPD officer warns while holding the man and his dog at gunpoint on the afternoon of Nov. 9. The officer uses his radio to tell dispatchers, “We have a suspect with a dog. The dog is not responding to our commands … neither is he.”
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In the video, the man walking with the dog, identified by police as Trusten Eaton, refuses to stop walking away from officers. The dog, which appears to be a husky-shepherd mix or similar breed, growls and barks at the police when they get close to its owner.
SFPD said the officers were confronting 29-year-old Eaton and his “aggressive dog” because, minutes earlier, a victim reported that he was randomly bitten by the dog on Market Street. The victim said he wanted to press charges.
The body worn camera video released Tuesday by SPFD shows Eaton pointing at the dog and telling an officer, “He was just saying ‘hi!’”
Two officers followed Eaton and the off-leash dog on foot as they ordered the man to stop.
“Get over here. You’re under arrest. Get over here or your dog is going to get shot,” an officer tells Eaton again. Both officers appeared to have their guns drawn.
When police made an attempt to physically restrain Eaton, his dog charged at one of the officers, the bodycam video shows.
SFPD said that officer, identified as Joseph Toomey, “backpedaled” as the dog advanced, then shot the dog’s front right leg. Eaton then charged at the officer, the video shows. The officer reacted by shooting Eaton in the thigh, after which Eaton grabbed the officer by the arm, police said.
Eaton eventually bolted and sprinted past dozens of bystanders along Market Street. The other officer pulled out his baton and chased him. After backup officers arrived and pinned Eaton to the ground, the wounded dog bit one of the backup officers, the video appears to show.
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SFPD said both Eatson and his dog received medical treatment and survived.
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Eaton was booked into jail on suspicion of threats, force or violence to obstruct an officer; resisting, delaying, or obstructing an officer; an unleashed dog inflicting an unprovoked bite; and possession of drug paraphernalia.
“In the San Francisco Police Department, we recognize that our sworn duty as law enforcement officers is to honor and respect the sanctity of human life,” Police Chief Paul Yep said Tuesday. “We also know that, as police officers, we are sometimes required to use force — including deadly force — in the performance of our duties. This incident remains an ongoing investigation.”
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