SAN JOSE (KCBS RADIO) – A San Jose man is suing the San Jose Police Department after a K-9 bit down on his throat for one minute, damaging his windpipe and thyroid cartilage, as recently reported by KTVU.
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Anthony Paredes, 41, was attacked during an incident on Feb. 7, 2020. He was with his girlfriend when she stole more than $350 worth of tequila from a Safeway on Berryessa Road, the station reported.
When an employee tried to intervene, Paredes allegedly threatened to hurt the employee, according to the station.
The couple then fled the scene on foot and Paredes hid in a trash can in someone’s backyard. Police officers were able to locate him using a thermal camera and soon arrived at his hiding place with a K-9, Tex, in tow.
According to the body camera footage obtained by KTVU, the dog was unleashed when the officers entered the backyard. Tex alerted officers to the trashcan that Paredes had been hiding in and officers used a wide, flat broom to knock it over.
They immediately started yelling for Paredes to show his hands, and Tex lunged at him. The video clearly shows the dog on top of him for an extended period, with officers yelling at him to stop fighting the dog.
Paredes is shown with blood all over his face and the dog refusing to let go as officers grasp his collar. The dog is eventually dragged away and told to "rest" by the handler.
At the time of the incident, Paredes was armed with only brass knuckles, according to the station, even though the store employee said that Paredes had threatened them with a knife.
This footage is revealed as the use of police dogs and the injuries, even deaths that they can cause have come under scrutiny.
Just earlier this month a woman was attacked and seriously injured by an off-duty Santa Clara Police dog while she was out walking her small Pomeranian.
Police dog attacks are actually quite common around the country and in the Bay Area. A recently published investigation by KTVU found that law enforcement agencies throughout the region deal with K-9 bite attacks, with San Jose the worst department out of the bunch, at 167 over five years.
Paredes filed a civil rights suit against the city, the San Jose Police Department, Safeway and its parent company Albertsons in February this year.
"The department is unable to comment on incidents that have active or pending litigation," said SJPD spokesperson Officer Steve Aponte in an email to KCBS Radio on Monday.
According to court filings, Paredes suffered a broken hyoid bone, a partially crushed vertebra, damaged cartilage and nerve damage in his neck.
"The above-referenced injuries have caused residual effects that continue to this day and continue to cause difficulties in Plaintiff Anthony Paredes' life," said the complaint. "Plaintiff Anthony Paredes enjoyed singing both in church and outside of church. He is unable to sing at all at this time. Even speech is difficult for Plaintiff Anthony Paredes due to the injuries."
Along with the physical damage, Paredes is also suffering from PTSD and other mental difficulties.
The suit is demanding $11 million in damages.
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