A Florida man has lost one of his eyes after being busted by a K9 following a traffic stop, police said.
The 30-year-old man, identified as Terrell Bradley, said the Gainesville Police K9 also chewed up his finger after he was apprehended following a traffic stop. The Gainesville Police Department investigated the incident and has temporarily taken the K9 off duty, Fox35 reported.
According to Gainesville investigators, a cop attempted to pull Bradley over for a traffic violation two weeks ago. The officer said he stopped Bradley because he spotted contraband and that he believed Bradley was acting suspiciously. However, Bradley resisted arrest by physically contacting the officer and took off, according to the officer. Investigators say they found loaded guns in Bradley’s vehicle and when the officer ran his name, they saw he was a convicted felon. Cops were hunting for Bradley with a K9 when the dog found him hiding behind bushes and took him down.
“I feel like no one should get pulled over for a traffic stop and leave without an eye and get ate up by a dog,” said Bradley. “He wasn’t acting like a dog that had any control over himself.”
Bradley said he took off because the cop who pulled him over was acting aggressively from the beginning, and he felt unsafe. Bradley believes the dog acted with excessive force and wants the department to do something about it.
“You all need to train people that despite what they see, despite what the run-up on your tag, plate and info, so now they feel like your past they have to treat you a different way,” said Bradley. “I just want to be a voice that those people need to be treated fairly too.”
Due to the seriousness of Bradley’s injuries, the Gainesville Police Department reviewed the case and decided to remove the K9 temporarily. Chief Lonnie Scott said in a statement:
“Let me begin by saying it is never the intent of our officers to injure anyone we encounter. We understand that this incident has brought up many emotions and our neighbors have questions.”
The police department is going to review the canine deployment policy and get input from experts and residents.