POSTED: Monday, June 30, 2003
UPDATED: 6:55 am EDT July 2, 2003
A Cocoa police officer investigating a neighborhood complaint about a Rottweiller Monday afternoon was attacked by the dog after he exited his vehicle, according to Local 6 News.
Officer Ken Shedrick and another officer responded to a Cocoa woman's complaint that a dog had chased her 8-year-old daughter down the street at 708 Wilson Aveunue. When the officers exited their patrol vehicle, the dog described in the complaint broke loose from his chain and charged them.
Local 6 News cameras filmed the dog attacking Shedrick.
Shedrick was able to kick the dog down and then he drew his weapon. But before he could shoot, another officer used a Taser to temporarily paralyze the animal.
The dog was able to shake off the Taser and ran away with Taser barbs still in its skin.
Shedrick said the dog grabbed his foot but he did not suffer any serious injuries from the attack.
"I thought he was going to take my leg off -- the foot off," Shedrick said.
When the dog was recovered, he was given back to its owner because it did not injure the officer, Local 6 News reported.
"It's our normal operating procedures to return the dog to the owner if it has not inflicted any harm or (has) no prior history with the department," Brevard County animal control spokesman David Polowski said.
Shedrick said the dog should be off the streets.
"Basically, they are saying they have to wait until he hurts someone to take him in. The act itself should justify taking him in," Shedrick said.
The dog's owner was cited for interference with an officer, failure to keep his dog properly leashed and failure to vaccinate the animal.
Neighbors said that the 6-month-old dog has a history of breaking loose, according to Local 6 News.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
Source :
http://www.clickorlando.com/news/2303042/detail.html