Caught on Video: Police Officer Punching K-9 in the Face

Video footage recorded by a bystander shows what appears to be a Fayetteville, North Carolina, police officer abusing a police K-9 in public on a Saturday afternoon in late June. In the footage, the handler is seen holding the dog by the collar so that the animal’s front legs are off the ground while the officer punches him in the face at least three times with a closed fist. The handler then drags the dog by the collar toward a police car, and the K-9 turns his head and nips at the handler but doesn’t appear to make contact. The handler grabs the dog by the muzzle, forcing his mouth shut, then swings him around by the collar while still holding his mouth closed.

The Fayetteville Police Department released a statement saying that the incident “is being investigated by [its] internal affairs office.” PETA is calling for the K-9 to be removed from the abusive handler’s custody immediately, for the officer to be reassigned to duties that don’t involve interaction with animals, and for the agency to review and revise its policies to use only humane training methods for K-9s. If the department cannot commit to handling its K-9s without abusing them, it should stop using dogs altogether.

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