It started off with “a call” to police. It always starts off with a call to police. This time, the call was to report a possible burglary in progress in a residential home in the Minneapolis suburb of Coon Rapids.
Coon Rapids police sped to the scene and spotted a person rummaging through a shed with a flashlight, issuing several orders to come out.
When the person did not come out, they sent a police dog to attack the suspect, who turned out to be an 82-year-old woman rummaging through her own shed in her own back yard.
But that did not stop police from dragging her from the shed to a patrol car after the dog attack, according to City Pages.
Choua Xiong did not comply, after all, so she needed to be taught a lesson.
But Xiong did not comply because she not only is hard of hearing, but does not understand English. And she probably did not expect cops to be surrounding her shed early Sunday morning after waking up early to do some work.
The Coons Rapid Police Department posted the following statement on its Facebook page, justifying the incident:
“The department understands there is public concern on social media about the way this incident appears at first glance. However, with the facts the officers were dealing with at the time, including dispatch information and assessment of the scene, they responded to the incident in an appropriate manner. Officers are trained to speak clear, simple commands in the hopes that officers can be understood when they are dealing with people on calls. It is always our goal to have a safe outcome for all citizens and officers, no matter the circumstances.”
The Coons Rapid Police Department also posted an audio clip from dispatch discussing the call on its Facebook page.
Xiong was hospitalized with a bite to her wrist and a sprained ankle and bruised knee from being dragged to the car.
The news clip below, which is in both English and Chinese, shows her using a walker to get around her home.
Below that is a video from Coons Rapid explaining how the police department raised money to purchase the police dogs. And below that is a video from 2015 about a dog donated to the police department.
The post Minnesota Cops Unleash Police Dog on 82-Year-Old Woman for Failing to Hear Commands appeared first on PINAC News.