Hawthorne Police in Calif. are drawing heavy criticism following a cell phone video uploaded to YouTube shows an officer shooting a young Rottweiler multiple times as his owner is being arrested. Police arrested Leon Rosby at 7:15 p.m. Sunday for allegedly obstructing justice when police say he refused to comply with demands that he turn down his music and leave the scene where police were attempted to arrest an armed robber, the Daily Breeze reported.
Rosby, 52, was told to put his dog in the car, to which he complied. Max, the 2-year-old dog, jumped out of an open window as police were arresting Rosby and began barking at officers. An officer attempted to grab the leash that was still attached to Max's collar and the dog lunged at him as Rosby was shouting commands, telling the dog to stop. Police said the situation was becoming increasingly dangerous, forcing the officer to open fire, the Los Angeles Times reported.
"It looks like the officer tried to reach down and grab the leash, and then the dog lunges in the direction of him and the other officers there," Hawthorne police Lt. Scott Swain said. "And I know it's the dog's master, and more than likely not going to attack him, (but) we've got a guy handcuffed that's kind of defenseless. We have a duty to defend him, too."
Rosby alleges that the death of his dog was retaliation from the police due to discrepancies he's had with the department in the past. He was arrested in July 2012 following a domestic dispute call by his wife, which was later dropped. He filed a suit complaining of the way he was treated by police. According to the lawsuit, Rosby says he was beaten in his home and in jail. He is suing for excessive force and false imprisonment. Rosby alleges that during Sunday's incident, police recognized him as a "troublemaker," which is why he believes they chose to approach him and kill his dog.
"There was no way Max should have died like that," Rosby said. "Max was only protecting his master. He was trying to stop them from beating on me."
The incident Rosby was said to be interrupting was an armed robbery in which the suspects barricaded themselves in a home located on 137th Street and Jefferson Avenue. The standoff ended after about 90 minutes. Police said the loud music coming from Rosby's car hindered their ability to hear important communications. Witnesses claim that Rosby cursed at officers when he was asked to turn the music off. Rosby refuted the claims and said he was complying, though not right when he was asked.
"I do apologize if I didn't immediately comply. The music may have been a little loud but I was complying," Rosby said. "I said, 'Sir, I want to make sure nobody's civil rights were being violated.'"
Michael Gulden, Rosby's attorney, said that the suit will be amended to include the shooting of the dog.
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