A woman who shoplifted thousands of dollars in cosmetics has won a nearly $1 million settlement from a Northern California city after a police dog bit her scalp and tore it apart as police tried to detain her.
In a statement, Brentwood Police Chief Timothy Herbert, in eastern Contra Costa County, defended the officer who was handling the dog that day and said his actions were justified. He said the city decided to settle the lawsuit to avoid further litigation and legal costs.
Brentwood city officials have agreed to pay Tarmika Bates $967,000 over a 2020 incident in which the then-24-year-old woman was bitten by a dog and suffered severe cuts to her scalp.
Body camera footage of the incident shows Bates screaming as Brentwood Police Officer Ryan Rezentes is seen pulling on the dog’s leash. “The whole skin came off.”
According to the original complaint, Brentwood police were dispatched to Ulta Beauty Supply cosmetics store on February 10, 2020, after an employee reported that three women had shoplifted several items.
Bates, who is on probation, and two other women stole $10,000 worth of merchandise from the store and fled in a vehicle, Brentwood police said. Officers tried to stop the vehicle, but the driver rammed the police car and the three women tried to flee on foot.
Officers found Bates hiding in a field behind some bushes.
According to the complaint, Rezentes used a K-9, a German shepherd named Marco, on Bates without giving him any warning or opportunity to surrender.
The dog bit and nibbled on Bates’ scalp, but ignored Bates and Rezentes’ attempts to stop the attack, according to the complaint.
“Officer Rezentes had to physically remove the dog from Mr. Bates’ head,” the complaint states.
Bates’ lawyers claim that Rezentes bit off part of Bates’ scalp, causing him to lose control of the dog and ignore commands to heel.
Another officer stood next to Rezentes with his gun drawn during the incident and tried to reassure him, according to body-worn camera footage.
“Don’t worry, your dog won’t shoot,” he can be heard saying.
After a minute, the two officers ordered Bates to stand, handcuffed her, and reprimanded her for running away.
“As Mr. Bates emerged from the bushes, the assembled officers observed a large chunk of Mr. Bates’ scalp removed from his head, exposing bone and tissue,” the complaint states. are.
Surgeons reattached Bates’ scalp, but the lawsuit says he continues to suffer from headaches, memory loss and depression as a result of the incident.
Bates’ attorney did not respond to a request for comment.
When asked for comment, Rezentes’ attorney referred to the police chief’s statement.
Bates pleaded guilty to charges of felonious assault and resisting a police officer, according to court records.
Bates’ lawyers claim that Rezentes lied in police reports and falsely claimed he was not protected by other officers to safely retrieve the dog that was attacking Bates. did.
Herbert defended the officers’ actions in a statement, noting that a court had ruled that the officers lawfully deployed the dogs to search for the suspect.
Herbert said officers had no way of knowing if Bates was armed, adding that Bates did not comply with officers’ commands to surrender.
However, the court also ruled that the dog could be liable for the duration of the attack.
Herbert said the police department currently does not have a working dog.
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