TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — A video is circulating online of what appears to be a Tulsa Police Officer tasing and then striking a dog with their foot while other officers attempt to make an arrest.
The original video was posted on the Nextdoor website but has now been posted to other platforms like TikTok and Facebook, attracting angry comments about the officers alleged conduct.
In the video you can see the dog approach the officers before what it looks like is one officer tasing it. The dog cries in pain as it inches closer to one of the officers then it looks like the officer strikes the dog twice with their foot.
NewsChannel 8 spoke with retired Tulsa Police Officer, Greg Douglass, about what police are expected to do when an animal intervenes in an arrest.
“Speaking in generalities, law enforcement officers are not necessarily trained that much in dealing with animals. When we anticipate that there’s going to be pets or animals involved, we’ll contact animal control. In the situations where it’s unanticipated or unexpected, we do the best we can. We operate humanely and most importantly reasonably,” said Douglass.
The Tulsa Police Department confirmed that the man being arrested is Dylan Harris. They say he is unhoused and is accused of attacking another unhoused man.
Douglass told NewsChannel 8 that the investigation into the conduct of the officers toward the dog will come down to an important question.
Douglass says, “It boils down to, very simply, reasonableness. Everything a law enforcement officer does is based on one simple word. Was it reasonable? They have to evaluate it as an average officer in that situation, are they likely to have done the same thing?”
TPD did not speak about what led up to the incident due to the pending investigation.
