Police released shocking bodycam footage.
Shocking body cam footage taken in Minnesota shows the moment an innocent woman was attacked by a police K-9 while taking out her trash.
St. Paul police say Gabe, a 5-year-old German shepherd, was on the hunt for a possible burglary suspect when Desiree Collins stepped outside of her home.
"You're fine," an officer tells the screaming 52-year-old as Gabe clamped down onto her arm.
"Please," Collins pleads. "Help me!"
After Gabe releases Collins' arm, she asks officers what she did to provoke the dog, to which an officer replies "nothing."
“Just in the wrong place at the wrong time," the officer says.
However, an attorney for Collins believes the incident was a result of negligence on the part of Gabe's handler, Thaddeus Schmidt.
Schmidt was suspended for one day following the Sept. 23 incident after being cited for keeping Gabe on a long leash, which allowed him to roam out of sight.
The St. Paul Police Department issued an apology to Collins and, on Thursday after the bodycam footage was release, the chief of police apologized once again.
“What happened to Ms. Collins was a terrible accident that should not have occurred,” Chief Todd Axtell said in a statement. “I am sorry it happened and that she was injured. As a department, we wish we could go back and do things differently. Unfortunately, we can’t. What we can do is apologize and take responsibility.”
Collins has filed suit against Schmidt, alleging his dog bit both her leg and her "good" arm. The suit says Collins lost the hand on her other arm after suffering severe burns as a child.
The suit claims the officer "should have been aware of... the specific danger to innocent people caused by the use of the long lead."
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