A cop in North Carolina is being investigated for hanging a K-9 by its leash and slamming it into his squad car as others looked on laughing and one person joked, “We’re good, no witnesses.”
According to TMZ, the incident did have witnesses because it was caught on video, and now that officer from the Salisbury Police Department has been “administratively separated” from the police dog, named Zuul.
In the video, the dog can be seen jumping out of his squad car during a training exercise, which apparently pissed the cop off. The officer immediately screamed for Zuul to stop, and he did. But that didn’t stop the cop from putting a leash on the pup and hanging him by it, slamming him into the side of the vehicle, throwing him into the back seat and slapping him.
A voice in the background on the video can be heard assuring that the cops were in the clear because there were no witnesses.
Salisbury Police Chief Jerry Stokes addressed the incident during a news conference, with Zuul by his side. Chief Stokes said the department was conducting a review and refused to comment because it’s an open case. It’s also unclear if the abusive cop has been suspended.
Salisbury Mayor Karen Alexander told TMZ that the police department’s investigation is being assisted by an outside agency “to ensure the review is impartial and provides an assessment of the incident that is complete, thorough, and fair.”
