Categories: U.S.

Michigan trooper charged with assault for not calling off dog that was attacking suspect with broken hip

close Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for August 10

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what’s clicking on Foxnews.com.

A jury acquitted a Michigan State Police trooper who was charged with assault for not calling off his dog when a suspect was on the ground with a broken hip.

Prosecutors said Parker Surbrook’s police dog, Knox, bit and pulled on Robert Gilliam for nearly four minutes in Lansing in 2020. The man couldn’t flee because of his injuries and had begged the trooper to remove the dog.

Defense attorney Patrick O’Keefe said the trooper was following his training while waiting for other officers to arrive. He called it a “highly stressful, potentially lethal situation.”

JUDGE ORDERS MICHIGAN PROSECUTORS TO RELEASE DOCUMENTS RELATED TO WHITMER KIDNAPPING PLOT

“You can second-guess what I did, but I know what my dog did. He was protecting me,” Surbrook testified.

Surbrook was acquitted of felonious assault Tuesday following a three-day trial in Ingham County, the Lansing State Journal reported.

A Michigan State Patrol trooper has been charged with assault for not calling off his dog when it was attacking a suspect who was on the ground with a broken hip.

Gilliam led police on a high-speed chase after Surbrook suspected a man with him outside a liquor store might be carrying a gun. Gilliam said he was on parole in another state and feared the consequences.

MICHIGAN WOMAN CHARGED WITH PERFORMING SEX ACT ON DOG, CAUGHT BY EX-BOYFRIEND

The vehicle crashed as Gilliam tried to turn into an apartment complex, and he opened the door and fell to the ground. Surbrook and his dog then arrived.

“Stay on him!” the trooper repeatedly told Knox, according to video.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Yes, he fled. Yes, he committed a felony,” assistant prosecutor Kristen Rolph told the jury, referring to Gilliam. “That doesn’t mean that what happened to him was something he deserved.”

A civil lawsuit against the state and Surbrook is pending in federal court.

 

Share

Recent Posts

Tourist, 30, dies after losing her leg in shark attack off Canary Islands

close Video 14-year-old Florida shark attack victim says there's nothing to be afraid of after…

9 mins ago

SEE IT: Trump meets young supporter with rare brain disease backstage at rally

close Video Former President Trump surprises young supporter at rally with birthday gift, visit Former…

19 mins ago

95-year-old veteran killed in car crash while on his way to meet friends: ‘Man of integrity’

close Video Fox News Flash top headlines for September 18 Fox News Flash top headlines…

19 mins ago

Sheriff calls the border wall ‘racist’ while seated next to mom of woman allegedly killed by illegal migrant

An Arizona sheriff told House lawmakers Wednesday a proposal for a wall on the southern…

39 mins ago

Johnson’s plan to avoid government shutdown goes down in flames as Republicans rebel

House Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to avert a partial government shutdown failed on Wednesday.  It…

39 mins ago

158 Dems vote against bill to deport illegal immigrants who commit sex crimes

More than 150 House Democrats voted against a bill that would deport illegal immigrants convicted…

39 mins ago