Two Alaska State Troopers have been charged with misdemeanor assault after using pepper spray, a taser, and a canine to arrest a man on a warrant issued for another person, authorities reported Thursday.
Sgt. Joseph Miller and canine handler Jason Woodruff have been charged with fourth-degree assault in connection with the May 24 incident, Alaska Department of Public Safety Commissioner James Cockrell revealed at a news conference Thursday.
“I’ve been with this department 33 years, and I’ve never seen any action like this before by an Alaska State Trooper,” Cockrell declared. “Because of their actions, there were significant injuries to the person that went to the hospital that was in that vehicle.”
An arraignment for the cops is planned for September 10.
According to authorities, two troopers busted out the rear window of a man’s car, pepper sprayed him, used a taser, and ordered a police dog to bite him repeatedly while attempting to arrest him. Officers learned they had detained the cousin of the man they were looking for after taking him to the hospital for treatment. Both males shared the same last name.
The two troopers reacted to an automobile parked in a public right of way in Soldotna, Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, southwest of Anchorage. Cockrell stated that the car was registered to a man who had an active misdemeanor warrant.
Miller and Woodruff were put on administrative leave after the event, and the dog is no longer in service, according to Cockrell. CNN has been unable to verify whether Miller and Woodruff have legal representation.
According to an Alaska Department of Public Safety press release, the troopers sought to talk with a man who was “hidden in the rear of the vehicle” and told him to exit the automobile. He denied having an active warrant and refused to exit the vehicle, according to the news release.
Miller, 49, then broke out the car’s back window and sprayed pepper spray inside, according to the news release. “There should have been some additional questions asked before we broke the window and drugged him out of his car,” Public Safety Commissioner Cockrell stated at the news conference.
As the man exited the truck, the troopers attempted to handcuff him, but Miller slammed his foot on his head, “pushing it into the ground covered in broken glass,” according to the release. According to Cockrell, this resulted in bleeding on his “face or head”.
Miller also deployed a taser several times, according to the press release.
Then, even though the man appeared to be following officers’ directions, Woodruff, 42, freed his canine and “continued to order the K9 to bite the man,” according to the release.
The man was eventually handcuffed, administered first assistance, and sent to a hospital.
It wasn’t until then that the troopers understood he wasn’t who they were looking for.
According to charge records obtained by The Associated Press, the troopers believed they had encountered a man with an outstanding warrant, but the man who was pepper-sprayed and bitten by a dog was his cousin.
Following the encounter, the man was bloodied and required surgery to fix muscle lacerations, according to the Associated Press.
Charges against the individual who was wrongfully arrested were later dismissed, according to the charging papers against the two cops.
“Personally, when I reviewed this video, I was sickened by what I saw,” she stated. Authorities have stated that they will not release all body camera video until the investigation is completed.
Miller and Woodruff were put on administrative leave after the event, and the dog is no longer in service, according to Cockrell.
“Let me be clear, the actions of these two individuals are not acceptable to me, not in line with our training and policy, and I know it is not acceptable to the Alaskans we serve,” stated Cockrell in a news statement.