Woman Who Nearly Lost Arm To K-9 Cop Plans Lawsuit

TheNewMexicoChannel.com ^ | November 11, 2003

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

A woman who nearly lost her arm following an incident with a police dog criticized the law enforcement officials who allowed it to happen, and plans to file a lawsuit.

Officials said Toni Osborne, 50, ran from Bernalillo police following a disturbance call. Sandoval and Bernalillo County officials also got involved after Osborne fled, trying to stop her in her pickup truck.

Officials said Osborne refused to surrender, and threatened them with a handgun, even after they used pepper spray. That's when they released a police dog.

"I remember the dogs and the pain in my arm and asking 'please get the dogs off me,'" Osborne said. "That's the last thing I remember: My eyes burning, then the dogs."

Osborne is one of the ring leaders behind recalling the town's mayor and supporting the former chief of police -- a main reason she was attacked, she said.

"The information that was relayed to us was that (Osborne) was armed with a handgun," said Michelle Arviso Devlin, of the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office. "She was pointing (the gun) at deputies. That's why we used a canine. We will not send a deputy into that situation."

According to investigators, Osborne was threatening individuals and causing damage to property. Officials said the canine was released only after Osborne refused to surrender.

"She started beating the canine on the head, and she continued beating the canine and punching it about the face," Devlin said.

"I didn't attack no dog. Who would attack a dog? I mean, come on," Osborne said. "I almost lost my arm. They almost cut my arm off. Ate it up."

Osborn was charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated, aggravated fleeing and a number of traffic charges.

Osborne plans to file a lawsuit against the agencies involved.

[dirtboy]

I wish I had more time to google or lexis-nexus this one.

Don't bother with Google, I haven't found squat.

[dirtboy]

It'd be interesting to get an official police spokesmens statement....

About the only thing I'd care to see would be official court testimony. Anything up to that point could be pure B.S. from either side.

[Dead Corpse]

At this point, anything that illuminates more clearly the positions of either side would be a help.

[Oztrich Boy]

Yeah, citizens should be grateful when jack-booted theugs don't kill them.

Osborn was charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated, aggravated fleeing and a number of traffic charges
why no firearms charges?

Authorities said she did not have a gun.

[jordan8]

K-9 Cop? This dog is not a policeman, it's a dog.