Bodycam shows Florida police K-9 attacks homeless woman sleeping in bushes
By: The Gainesville Police Department said a K-9 attacked a homeless person during the pursuit of a domestic violence suspect.
In a Facebook post, the department said they deployed a K-9 unit after 3 a.m. to help apprehend a felony domestic violence suspect who fled on foot on March 23.
The K-9 located part of the suspect's ankle monitor alongside the building while tracking him near 3100 NW 13th Street, leading them to an enclosed fenced-in area with a patch of bushes.
The K-9 handler spotted someone hiding behind the bushes and believed it to be the suspect - allowing the K-9 to make contact.
Soon after, the handler realized the person in the bushes was not the suspect and apprehended the K-9.
Body cam footage released by the police department shows the moments leading up to the case of mistaken identity.
The woman can be heard repeatedly yelling, "Please stop!" as the K-9 refuses to let go of her.
Eventually, the K-9 lets go, but the woman continues to scream in horror.
She was taken to Shands Hospital to receive treatment for punctures to their calf and thumb.
The suspect, Dovico Miles Jr., surrendered to the Alachua County Jail on March 27 and was charged with felony domestic battery.