Two cops restrain a man while a dog mauls him.

A report of a man allegedly trespassing resulted in a brutal assault by a police dog, prompting an inquiry against three Woodson Terrace police officers. The department is defending the officers, and the office of the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney has intervened. Around 7:15 a.m., police got a report about a guy allegedly trespassing and refusing to leave a business on Interstate 70. When the police came, they say the guy was under the influence of drugs.

One of the business's employees recorded the event, and the guy did not seem to be a danger at all. At most, he refused to be handcuffed, claiming innocence. He never assaulted any police and was completely restrained and surrounded by them. According to police, when they approached the guy, he attempted to flee into the street, forcing officers to stop traffic and arrest him. At this point in the video, the guy is face-down on the hood of the police vehicle.

While the two police try to arrest him, a third officer arrives with a growling dog on the prowl. The dog seems to scare the guy, and he makes a short effort to flee. That is when the dog was returned to its owner.

This was the police statement:

The police instructed the subject to put his hands behind his back, but he refused, and when the officers tried to do so, the subject struggled and refused. Officers tried to coax the suspect into cooperating, but the individual resisted. The individual was then told many times that he would be freed if he did not cooperate. The individual continued to fight, injuring one of the officers, prompting the release of the K9 and the K9 gaining control of the suspect's foot. The culprit fell to the ground, and the K9 was dragged away from him. After removing the K9 from the suspect, police tried to handcuff the subject but owing to the subject's drug use, he continued to fight and the officers were unable to hold him. The individual rose and tried to escape from the police, at which point the K9 was unleashed, biting the suspect on the leg.

Officers were able to arrest the suspect and remove the K9 from the scene.

However, the footage reveals a different tale. The guy does not seem to be fleeing in the video; rather, he looks to be attempting to escape from a dog that is ripping at his skin. The guy can be heard begging for assistance as the dog rips at him for well over a minute. “Help! Remove it! He yells in pain, "Get it off!"

John Bowman, head of the local NAACP, likened the image to one from the Jim Crow period when police used attack dogs on unarmed melanated people.

“It creates an illusion that transports us to a time period we're attempting to forget. It was unsettling to witness a canine released in that way on a human being. Three extremely healthy, robust police officers were present,” he said.

“I'm just hoping that we can eventually get to a position where the minority community does not see as much of this, and that the connections and trust between the community and police agencies... cannot improve any further,” Bowman added. “I completely appreciate the necessity to pacify the person uttering such comments and who is on drugs for the sake of public safety. I'm not sure I comprehend this person's use of force. We have to stop seeing footage of individuals being detained aggressively.”

We concur. Regrettably, these films have grown very popular.