Video shows US police officer commands his dog to attack black man with his hands up
A new video footage shows a US police officer commanding his dog to attack a black man who was already kneeling on the ground with his hands up in Salt Lake City in the state of Utah.
"Get on the ground or you're gonna get bit," an officer could be heard saying in the clip.
Just seconds after that warning, the officer commands his K-9 to attack.
The black man, 36-year-old Jeffery Ryans, is heard screaming in pain in the clip as he is bitten by the dog in his own yard.
"Hit. Hit.," the officer said. "I'm on the ground, why are you biting me? I'm on the ground, stop," the man could be heard saying.
Police said they were responding to a domestic disturbance call and say Ryans was violating a protective order filed by his wife. But Ryans, who is still recovering from multiple surgeries, said the order was supposed to be lifted.
Ryans' attorney said his client wasn't resisting at all.
"Even when the dog starts to bite him. He's, he's still just laying there," the attorney explained. "Looks like someone took a chainsaw to his leg."
The police officer has been suspended and is under investigation for the vicious attack.
The Salt Lake City police said the K-9 program will undergo an external review and that they're limiting the use of police dogs during that time.
The disturbing video was released as the United States was reeling from months-long protests over police violence and racial disparities.
The public movement against US police violence and racial discrimination against African Americans erupted after the murder of George Floyd — an unarmed black man — in police custody in May.
The 46-year-old died after a white officer knelt on his neck and pinned him to the ground for nine minutes in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25.
His killing unleashed protests against police brutality and for racial justice in the US and many other countries.
Protesters clamored for an end to police brutality, saying they were hopeful that Floyd's death would mark a turning point in race relations, police aggression and a lightning rod for change in the way police departments function across the US.
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