I just want to warn you up front that this is one of the most disturbing things you will ever see, especially if you’re a lover of dogs. With that said, it’s something that probably needs to seen, precisely because it’s so disturbing on a number of levels.
Here’s the gist of what happens in the video embedded below: a man named Leon Rosby is seen videoing some sort of large police operation going on in a residential part of Hawthorne, CA while walking his dog, Max. A couple of cops near the scene then walk over and promptly slap handcuffs on Rosby, who had put Max in his car when the officers began to approach him. When Rosby’s dog saw the officers arresting its owner from the car, it naturally got upset and began barking, eventually jumping out the window of the car to run to Rosby’s aid. One of the cops then unloaded on the animal. All of this was captured on video by other bystanders.
Again, I warn you, this is very disturbing to watch, so proceed with caution before you press play.
According to a report by the Daily Breeze, Hawthorne police claim they arrested Rosby because the music playing in his car was loud and was “distracting the officers.” Additionally, Rosby had previously refused to comply with a request by police on the scene to turn down the music. As for why they shot Max, a police spokesman said they did it out of concern for the safety of the officers, but also out of concern for Rosby: “We’ve got a guy handcuffed that’s kind of defenseless. We have a duty to defend him, too.”
I guess pepper spray or, you know, uncuffing Rosby so that he could calm his dog weren’t viable alternatives to deadly force. Also, I’m sure it’s no big deal that this took place in Los Angeles County and involves a black man and two white cops. Ugh.
(Via Reddit)