The Greenville County Sheriff's Office has been accused of failing to prevent a K-9 from attacking a 15-year-old boy though the dog had been in a cage and ordered to stay put. The dog allegedly decided on its own that his police partner was in jeopardy, broke out of his cage, chased after a group of young teens, and bit the boy.
The personal injury lawsuit seeks all damages related to the boy's medical costs, loss of income, general damages for pain, suffering, physical disfigurement, other intangible losses, loss of time from school and future loss of earning, and medical, psychological and other treatments costs.
Major S.S. reported that deputies had been dispatched to a home on Goodrich Street on May 24 shortly before midnight to disperse approximately 100 people that had gathered there. They were also called to the scene to check on a report of gunfire. After the crowd had been broken up deputies patrolled the area once more. A small group was located congregating in the Hollis Academy parking lot.
Deputy M.L., who had "Enzo" the K-9 in his car, told the group they had to disperse within 10 minutes. After that time had passed Deputy M.L. returned to the parking lot and the group had failed to heed his orders. According to Deputy M.L. as he exited his police cruiser, and attempting to close the door behind him, Enzo had escaped his cage and ran out. The officer ordered Enzo to "heel" and the dog obeyed.
However, the group started to run. Enzo rose from his position and gave chase. Enzo caught one of the teens in the buttocks with his teeth. The teen was treated in a hospital and later released. The deputy claimed that Enzo was in a amplified state of alert after arriving on scene. He was taken out of service following the incident. An investigation was ordered to figure out how he was able to free himself from the cage.
The investigation showed that there was a build-up of dog hair that had prevented the lock – that controlled a sliding door between the cage and the front seat – from working properly. The dog was re-tested on his response to commands, responded accordingly, and was re-released into service.
The suit states that the Sheriff's Office failed to prevent Enzo from "inflicting grave injuries" to the teen while the victim was "lawfully on private property." The suit further states that the K-9 had a "dangerous propensity to bite people" and the county failed to adhere to an ordinance that regulates dangerous dogs.
This is not the first personal injury lawsuit filed on behalf of a victim of a K-9 attack in Greenville County. In 2013, one man was awarded $250,000. In that case, stemming from a 2009 attack, the victim allegedly had suffered with "massive and emotional trauma."