A disturbing video posted online appears to show a U.S. marshal kicking a small dog and, according to the owner, breaking one of its ribs while performing an arrest outside of a Memphis apartment complex on Wednesday.
The video shows a uniformed marshal, apparently with his gun drawn, walking up to the miniature schnauzer barking in his direction and punting it.
“This is not law enforcement. This is animal cruelty,” Emma Hollingsworth, the dog’s owner, said in a video posted to Facebook on Thursday. “They literally kicked him for no reason.”
DANIEL PERRON via Getty Images
Hollingsworth said the officers were the ones who let her dog out of her home while carrying out an arrest warrant for her boyfriend — who was complying with the marshals’ orders to exit when they broke down the front door, she said.
Video shows the small dog running around and barking at the officers, as well as an officer restraining a much larger dog, revealed to be a police K9. A battering ram can be seen on the ground near the door.
Hollingsworth accused the officers of using unnecessary force and said she wants them off the streets.
The U.S. Marshals Service, in a statement to local station WREG, called the scene “unfortunate” but accused the dog of “repeatedly and aggressively” trying to attack the working K9, resulting in the marshal having to make a “last-resort, split-second decision.”
Hollingsworth’s boyfriend, who was taken into custody, was wanted for commercial burglary in north Mississippi, the office said.
“The dog’s owner was instructed to restrain the dog but did not do so. A deputy U.S. marshal blocked the animal to keep it away from the K9,” they said. “It was a last-resort, split-second action taken by a law enforcement officer to control the environment and mitigate a dangerous situation. An uncontrolled, aggressive animal can hinder official duties and threaten safety.”
The statement further accused the dog’s owner of violating the city’s leash laws, which it said require dogs to be restrained at all times.
“Dogs off-property must be on a leash, while on-property, they must be behind a secure fence, a functional invisible fence, or a proper, safe tether,” the statement said.
The U.S. Marshals Service did not immediately respond to JS’s request for comment on Friday. Hollingsworth was not immediately available for comment.
