• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

One of my closer friends a victim of having his dogs killed by the police.

alkemyst

alkemyst

No Lifer
I have known this guy since I was 17. He did some of the work on my 1966 Mustang GT and my dad's 1965 Mustang GT. My dad helped him with financing for his Mustang restoration business back in the late 80's.

He has 5 big dogs that sort of look menancing but are good, he has customers there daily and never has had to lock them up. There were witnesses that saw this event and said the dogs were shot when the police were 3' from the gate. They were not attacking, but coming to see what was up.

The guy they arrested was a 22 year old worker he had. The accounts vary greatly between witnesses and the police. The guy and witnesses claim he never answered the gate (nor knew they were there) and they had to get him from under a vehicle. The police claim he answered the gate and was cooperating with officers stating there was a misunderstanding.

The guy was released the next day under his on recognizance...no bail or anything.

This happens just a few weeks after another Loxahatchee man approached a police officer in an unmarked car and out of uniform in his drive way (a different location). The officer there shot him twice and for some reason no rescue or treatment was given for over 30 mins...the victim actually crawled over 100 feet to call his family for help. Police later blocked the ambulance from coming in and then from leaving. The man died getting to the hospital too late.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/n...uties-forced-to-kill-three-charging-do/nRCp8/

LOXAHATCHEE —


A confrontation at a Loxahatchee home this week ended with a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy shooting three dogs and their owner saying he is considering a lawsuit against the agency.

The incident happened Tuesday afternoon at a home in the 16000 block of 75th Place North. Two deputies went there to arrest an auto mechanic working on a car at the residence for allegedly violating a restraining order.

According to the sheriff’s office, the three dogs — Kahlua, 6-year-old pit bull mix, Boss, a 5-year-old Great Dane mix and Bully, a 4-year-old Great Dane mix — charged at the deputies as they arrested Ricky Woodman, 48, also of Loxahatchee. One deputy fired multiple shots at them out of fear for his safety, said Teri Barbera, sheriff’s spokeswoman. All three of the dogs were killed during the shooting.

The owner of the property and the dogs said he was out of town when the shooting took place — but that reports he received from neighbors and witnesses differ from the sheriff’s account.

“They approached my property with guns drawn,” Bryan Thomas said Thursday night of the deputies. “I’ve got two eyewitnesses to every detail that happened, and the story does not even come close to what they’re saying.”

He described Woodman as being a 22-year employee who helps him build and repair classic Mustang cars.

Barbera said Woodman allowed the deputies to come onto the property to speak to him. The deputies were in the process of placing him in handcuffs when the dogs approached and charged at them, she said. Woodman was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on Tuesday and released Wednesday on his own recognizance, jail records show

But Thomas said Woodman was working underneath a car in the garage when the deputies entered the property gate. The deputies went a few feet beyond the gate before the dogs ran out from the garage area about 100 feet away, he said. The deputies then fired multiple times, he said.

“It wasn’t a shooting,” Thomas said. “It was a slaughter.”

Thomas said the dogs had no history of biting people and that he believes they merely ran to the gate out of curiosity.

“They were running toward them to see who was there,” he said. “I never put my dogs away and I get more than 50 visitors a day. They never bit (anybody). They’re going to come running up, sniff all around you and start licking you to death.”

Thomas said he and his wife, Kathie, are considering pursuing legal action against the sheriff’s office.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
It sounds like there is a conspiracy to kill dogs.
I wonder who's behind it?
l9wmu.jpg
 
I would advise your friend not to bother trying to hold the police accountable, for this, or anything, ever.
 
alkemyst said:
The guy they arrested was a 22 year old worker he had. The accounts vary greatly between witnesses and the police. The police claim the guy never answered the gate and they had to get him from under a vehicle. He and witnesses claim he answered the gate and was cooperating with officers stating there was a misunderstanding.
Click to expand...

This is not what the article says.

The article says the police account (from police spokeswoman Barbera) is that the guy allowed the police to enter and the dogs ran up while police were handcuffing him.

The owner (Thomas) said the guy was under a car when police entered and the dogs ran up to them after they entered the gate.

There is no account from the person arrested nor witnesses, only the claims from Thomas that there are witnesses that agree with his account.

Either way the dogs likely shouldn't have been shot.
 
actuarial said:
This is not what the article says.

The article says the police account (from police spokeswoman Barbera) is that the guy allowed the police to enter and the dogs ran up while police were handcuffing him.

The owner (Thomas) said the guy was under a car when police entered and the dogs ran up to them after they entered the gate.

There is no account from the person arrested nor witnesses, only the claims from Thomas that there are witnesses that agree with his account.

Either way the dogs likely shouldn't have been shot.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately the newspaper only shared the police side. The TV news that night had neighbors/witnesses.

Thomas never commented on the guy being under a car as he was not in town at the time.
 
alkemyst said:
Unfortunately the newspaper only shared the police side. The TV news that night had neighbors/witnesses.

Thomas never commented on the guy being under a car as he was not in town at the time.
Click to expand...

Did you read your own article?
“They approached my property with guns drawn,” Bryan Thomas said Thursday night of the deputies.
Click to expand...
But Thomas said Woodman was working underneath a car in the garage when the deputies entered the property gate. The deputies went a few feet beyond the gate before the dogs ran out from the garage area about 100 feet away, he said. The deputies then fired multiple times, he said.
Click to expand...

And the police account is much different than you claim in the OP:
Barbera said Woodman allowed the deputies to come onto the property to speak to him. The deputies were in the process of placing him in handcuffs when the dogs approached and charged at them, she said.
Click to expand...
 
Sad... what sucks is pets are not even legally considered living things, they are just property. I always thought that was BS. They are living beings and deserve the same respect as humans. Then again, cops tend to randomly shoot humans too lately. 40+ shots, just to make sure.

Here they're trying to pass a law that would make it easier for police to legally kill pets, I really hope it does not pass. Lot of people are fighting it. I don't really know all the details I just overheard it on the news.

I guess these days if you really want to be safe, keep your pets inside at all times. Just hope you don't get raided for something.
 
Red Squirrel said:
Sad... what sucks is pets are not even legally considered living things, they are just property.
Click to expand...

Uhhh...legally, pets are considered to be both living things AND property. Do you think that Michael Vick would have gotten in trouble for hosting Peep fights in his microwave?
 
Well, in the first place, he wasn't a victim, but his dog might have been. Coming in second is the reality that the police can (wait for it.......) do what they want, pretty much without impunity. Welcome to reality. Sucks that the guy lost his dog, but perhaps he will learn something thereby?
 
jagec said:
Uhhh...legally, pets are considered to be both living things AND property. Do you think that Michael Vick would have gotten in trouble for hosting Peep fights in his microwave?
Click to expand...


Completely depends on the situation...


If the death is the fault of the LEO = animal is property and only worth replacement value, treated as an object

If the animal is owned by LEO or death can be profited from by the state = VERY valuable living being
 
SpatiallyAware said:
Completely depends on the situation...


If the death is the fault of the LEO = animal is property and only worth replacement value, treated as an object

If the animal is owned by LEO or death can be profited from by the state = VERY valuable living being
Click to expand...

That depends on the state.
 
Normally I'm pretty in defense of the police but I'm kinda willing to give the property owner the benefit of the doubt on this one. A highly trafficked area with lots of customers is unlikely to be hosting naturally vicious dogs. However, if the dogs perceived one of their "pack" being handcuffed and maybe struggling, it's possible they decided to attack but that seems somewhat unlikely. This overall sounds like the officers saw some big dogs heading their way and had a reasonable fear things might turn south, and took overly-preemptive action to avoid the possibility of that.
 
actuarial said:
Did you read your own article?



And the police account is much different than you claim in the OP:
Click to expand...

Thomas was repeating what Woodman and his neighbors told him. Like I said the actual TV news was more conclusive, but there isn't a link to it.
 
jagec said:
Uhhh...legally, pets are considered to be both living things AND property. Do you think that Michael Vick would have gotten in trouble for hosting Peep fights in his microwave?
Click to expand...

Depends on case.

If a police officer shoots a dog, you are limited to only replacement value. There is no pain and suffering nor damages allowed. However there is a case right now working on changing that.

Police have shot past even children in a doorway to hit dogs inside a residence.

The law doesn't make any statement that the police officer has to be in fear of harm, just that they feel they are being interfered with by the animal.

The extension of that is if they are distracted, they may unknowingly put themselves in harm's way.
 
Wreckem said:
That depends on the state.
Click to expand...

In NC, killing a police dog = Killing an officer, same charge, same penalty.

I doubt I'm the only one who appreciates the irony that we we're all invited to ignore or forego our own safety for the safety of those that are supposedly protecting us.
 
Last edited:
Wreckem said:
That depends on the state.
Click to expand...


What state handles it any differently? I keep up with this sort of thing, and as far as I'm aware you are only entitled to replacement value if your animal is killed by a LEO, period. You may be able to sue for p&s for something unrelated to the death of the animal, but as far as the animal itself is considered it's an object.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top