Police Dog Attack

A police dog bit the wrong man after it was released to chase a gunman, but attacked the offender's intended victim instead.

Nottinghamshire Police said that a passing police dog handler saw a man fire a sawn-off shotgun in Worksop and attempted to apprehend the suspect.

The man who fired the shot fled the scene and the dog was released to chase him. At the same time the gunman's intended victim fled in the same direction and was mistakenly bitten by the police dog.

The dog-bite victim suffered minor injuries and was taken to Bassetlaw District General Hospital for treatment. Two men, aged 23 and 29, were arrested several hours later in Nottingham.

"The dog would find it difficult to decide which person to tackle because both men ran in the same direction", a police spokesman said. "It was an unfortunate mistake really."

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Ifti Manzoor from law firm Irwin Mitchell said: "Whilst I appreciate the police have a very difficult job as the police were chasing an armed gunman, this highlights the need for proper training of police dogs to ensure this sort of incident does not occur again.

"The facts of this incident are that the police dog has clearly bitten the wrong man who was the alleged victim and he is therefore able to pursue a civil action against the police for the injuries caused."

Anyone who believes they have suffered unlawful arrest, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution or injuries caused by police, should contact Irwin Mitchell on 0370 1500 100 or visit our Claims Against the Police page for more information.