An off-duty Los Angeles motorcycle police officer was working security for a Film Set in downtown Los Angeles on Friday when the incident happened. He was involved in an altercation with a man when a dog allegedly jumped out of the vehicle, heading to attack the officer. The officer shot the dog dead. The owner is disputing the police officer’s account of what happened, saying his dog was not aggressive and did not attack the officer. He claims his dog was killed because of its breed.
Los Angeles Police say the dog was attacking the officer
The LA Times reports that according to the permits, the filming location was for the second season of the Hulu series “Chance.” According to Jenny Hauser, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles police, the incident happened in South Main Street at around 11:40 a.m.
on Friday. The officer was involved in an argument with the owner of the dog when the “aggressive” Pit Bull approached the officer, attacking him. This led the officer to shoot the dog, killing the animal.
According to Hauser, the man was detained, while the officer only suffered minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital. Hauser did not identify the officer involved in the incident or mention what he and the dog’s owner were arguing about. Reportedly investigators then roped off the area and were looking for security video and seeking witnesses to the incident.
CBS Local reports that one witness, Nelson Aguilar, spoke to KCAL9 about the incident, saying he heard two men shouting, then two gunshots.
He then captured video footage of the aftermath of the shooting using his cell phone. Aguilar said he saw the dog and that it was squirming on the ground. He also saw the dog’s owner who was yelling at the officer, saying “you killed my dog.”
The dog’s owner says the dog was not being aggressive
While police say the pit bull was attacking the officer, the dog’s owner, Emry Zumreet, tells a different story.
His attorney, Ben Meiselas, said Zumreet was driving through Los Angeles when the officer in question blocked traffic for the film shoot. Meiselas said there was a dispute between his client and the police officer, who then reportedly opened the door of Zumreet’s car. This led to Zumreet getting out of the car, at which time the officer drew his handgun.
At that moment, the pit bull reportedly jumped out through the open door of the vehicle. According to Meiselas, the dog never attacked the police officer. Meiselas went on to say that the officer “executed” the dog purely because it was a pit bull. He added that he has witnesses that came forward to say the actions of the officer were unprovoked.
After the dog was shot, he said Zumreet called the L.A. police for assistance, but was arrested when officers arrived on the scene.
More drama in the Los Angeles streets
As reported by CBS Local, this wasn’t the only incident happening in the area that at that time. Reportedly ten minutes after the incident with the pit bull, a man was killed in what is possibly a gang-related shooting around half a mile away.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said paramedics were sent to East Fifth Street at approximately 11:40 a.m., who pronounced the victim dead at the scene. The name of the victim was withheld until his next of kin could be notified. Los Angeles police say that according to their investigations the victim, aged around 40, had been approached by the suspect or suspects, who shot him and drove away.
