After a K-9 dog bit a woman’s scalp during her arrest, necessitating more than 200 stitches and other medical care, a Northern California community agreed to pay almost $1 million to resolve a complaint alleging police used excessive force.
Talmika Bates’ lawyers said Friday that the city of Brentwood, which is in Contra Costa County and around 60 miles east of San Francisco, will give her $967,000.
When Bates was arrested in February 2020, the German Shepherd bit her head when she was hiding in bushes. Bates was wanted on suspicion of stealing items from a beauty business.
In addition to laceration healing and tissue realignment, the woman needed more than 200 stitches in her head. According to her lawyers, she has been diagnosed with minor diffuse traumatic brain damage, mild post-traumatic brain syndrome, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
“We need to recognize that K-9s are dangerous, sometimes lethal, weapons that can cause life-altering damage or kill someone even when an officer is trying to get them to release and relent,” civil rights attorney Adante Pointer stated. “Here we saw a trained K-9 handler stand by while his dog mauled an unarmed young lady who was surrendering.”
The settlement was reached six months after a federal judge denied the officer in charge of the police K-9 some of his qualified immunity protection because, according to Bates’ lawyers, a jury might find that the officer’s prolonged use of force was excessive.
In order to prevent more litigation and appeal expenses, the city and its insurance carriers reached a settlement, according to Brentwood Police Chief Timothy Herbert.
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“The lone claim by Ms. Bates in this litigation was excessive force per the Fourth Amendment. In the litigation, the District Court ruled that Officer Rezentes lawfully deployed his canine in this search for the suspects, and that he had a lawful right to use his canine to apprehend Ms. Bates under the Fourth Amendment,” Herbert stated.
According to Herbert, there aren’t any K-9 officers on duty at the police department right now.
