Officers cleared after teen bit by police dog during arrest: ASIRT
Posted May 6, 2026 3:00 pm.
Last Updated May 6, 2026 3:08 pm.
Alberta’s police watchdog has cleared officers of wrongdoing after a teen was bit by a police dog more than two years ago.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) said the case stems from a Nov. 16, 2023 arrest attempt at a Calgary home, where officers were looking for a teenage suspect wanted in connection with violent robberies and breaches of curfew and probation.
When officers arrived, the youth denied wrongdoing and fled out the back door, triggering a foot chases through the neighbourhood.
According to ASIRT, officers briefly lost sight of the teen before spotting him again, prompting CPS to deploy a police dog team. The handler repeatedly announced police presence and warned that a dog would be used, ordering the teen to surrender.
The dog tracked the suspect through two yards and found the youth hiding under a raised deck.
The teen screamed that the dog was “eating him alive” as the animal latched onto the hood of his sweater and pulled him out. Officers immediately ordered the dog to release and arrested the youth.
The teen suffered a one‑inch cut behind his jaw and a torn earlobe. Paramedics took him to hospital and his mother later reported lasting scarring.
ASIRT noted it did not receive medical records.
The watchdog says body‑worn camera footage confirmed the officers’ warnings and the dog’s discovery of the youth. One officer estimated the dog’s contact lasted about ten seconds.
ASIRT concluded the officers acted lawfully and reasonably, saying the dog bite was unintentional and the handler’s actions did not amount to criminal negligence.
ASIRT investigates any police interaction that results in serious injury or death.
