TACOMA, Wash. (AP) - A federal judge says a man’s lawsuit over a now-retired Lakewood police dog that bit him unprompted can go forward.
In a ruling Friday, U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton declined a request by the city of Lakewood and Officer James Syler to dismiss the claims filed by Kerry Tucker, who was staying in a homeless camp when the dog, named Astor, attacked him in 2012.
Police were looking for someone else, and the then-23-year-old Tucker was neither a suspect nor fleeing when the German shepherd bit him, causing what his lawyers describe as severe and permanent leg injuries.
People were interested in these podcasts
The dog had previously bitten a bystander, and Tucker says it was unreasonable for the officer to deploy the dog into an area where innocent people were camping. The city and Pierce County have paid nearly $250,000 in legal settlements and medical bills stemming from other lawsuits involving the dog.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.