Orlando Cop Unleashes K9 On 12-Year-Old Burglary Suspect, Boy Gets Viciously Mauled

An Orlando Police Department dog mangled the arm of a 12-year-old burglary suspect during an arrest last week, sending the boy to the hospital for three days and adding to ongoing concern over whether deploying dogs on juveniles constitutes excessive force.

The OPD incident report from June 4 states the boy had pried open portable classrooms at Shingle Creek Elementary School and started running after officers told him to stop.

But two other minors, also charged in the burglary, saw the whole thing and said the injured boy had already dropped to his knees in compliance when the dog lunged at him, family members said.

Their attorney, Bradley Laurent, said the family will pursue a lawsuit if the city cannot resolve the issue. The boy — who turned 13 on Friday and is not being identified because he's a minor — must return to the doctor every week to check for nerve damage because his arm is too swollen to diagnose it right now, Laurent said.

"This kid is going to need extensive rehab," Laurent said by phone on Friday, adding that the child appeared to have suffered three separate bite wounds. "There's no telling if he needs surgery to repair any nerve damage, and he may need plastic surgery."

Barring exceptional circumstances, OPD does not put police dogs on children age 12 or under — a distinction most agencies do not make, according to Deputy Chief Eric Smith, who oversees the K-9 unit.