BY NANCY YANG Pioneer Press St. Paul Pioneer Press (Minnesota)
A St. Paul police K-9 dog mistakenly bit the wrong man as officers responded to a weapons call overnight in downtown St. Paul.
Antonio Johnson was bitten in the left calf and lower leg, police said. He was taken to Regions Hospital for treatment.
According to an incident report:
About 12:40 a.m., police responded to a call about a fight in the area of Sixth and Wabasha streets. The caller told police that eight males were chasing him and that one male tried to hit him.
A few minutes later, Metro Transit police said that two of the males might have a gun and that several males were running from the area in different directions.
St. Paul police Officer Isaac Rinehart and his K-9 dog chased several males in the area in the squad car and found one group trying to get on a Metro Transit bus at Sixth and Cedar streets, another group trying to go in a building and one more group standing on the sidewalk.
Rinehart yelled for the people to get off the bus and to come away from the building. About half the group complied and one man standing on the sidewalk began yelling obscenities and walking toward Rinehart.
Rinehart said he did not know which of the people there were armed or involved in the weapons call.
Rinehart said that since he was the only officer with "several noncompliant suspects that were acting as if they did not want to be stopped by the police and that they were possibly armed," he went to get his K-9 partner, Sarik.
The K-9 slipped through Rinehart's grasp, exited the squad car and bit Johnson.
Rinehart said he immediately removed Sarik from Johnson and when officers arrived, returned his canine partner to the squad car.
Johnson was taken to Regions Hospital and officers learned he was neither a suspect or victim in the weapons call.
Johnson was placed in a holding cell with the door open because space was not available in the emergency room.
Rinehart said he spoke to Johnson, who was not handcuffed, and told him he was not being arrested and that he would be moved to the emergency room as soon as space was available.
A police spokesman this afternoon said there will be an internal review of the incident.
Johnson told KSTP-TV that he was waiting for a bus during the incident and that he will consult an attorney.
Wire Service
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