- Frank Morris is seeking more information from Canton administration.
- Morris says dog was put on man who was on the ground and handcuffed.
- The department said K-9 officer Nicholas Casto has been placed on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation.
CANTON ‒ Videos released by police and on social media show a city police dog attacking a man on the ground Thursday evening, as a gathering crowd screams criticism at Canton officers for allowing the dog to jump on the man.
"Why you let that dog on him?" a woman yells. "Are you (expletive) serious? Why you let that dog bite him?"
Canton police on Friday afternoon issued a statement that said an internal investigation has been opened into the incident that occurred at 8:45 p.m. Thursday in the 1100 block of 16th Street NW. The department said K-9 officer Nicholas Casto has been placed on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation. Casto has been with the Canton Police Department since 2014, state records show.
Mayor William V. Sherer II released a statement on the incident.
"I take these occurrences very seriously," he said. "I understand the community will have questions, and I will ensure that my office will be forthcoming with information as it becomes available.”
Responding to media requests, the Canton Police Department on Friday afternoon released Casto's body camera video and the narratives written by each officer who had responded to 16th Street.
What do the Canton police video and reports show of dog attack?
According to the officers' reports, members of Canton's Coordinated Response Team, which is a special investigative unit, stopped a four-door sedan that had failed to use a turn signal when it pulled in front of a house to park.
Officers, who had been in unmarked vehicles, said the two occupants of the vehicle started trying to exit the car immediately, and the driver began to argue with them and saying they could not search his vehicle. One detective said he spotted an open liquor bottle in the rear seat of the vehicle. Since the occupants were underage, officers advised them they would be searching the vehicle, where officers said they found a loaded handgun under the driver's seat.
As officers started to detain the two occupants, people began gathering in the road and sidewalks.
Officers wrote in their reports that the crowd began yelling and became combative. One officer wrote that several people became “aggressive in their motions as they stepped towards me and in their verbal responses.” Another officer said he was concerned because the handgun found in the car had not yet been secured and they had not yet completely searched the vehicle.
They called for additional officers to help.
The video released by Canton police shows a bystander signaling to Casto and his K-9, whose name is Scooby, as Casto talks with bystanders about their dogs. Scooby's rapid barking drowns out anything the bystander may have said.
Casto tells the man that he is under arrest for taunting the dog and three other police officers approach the man to handcuff him.
While handcuffing the bystander, the three officers and the man fall to the ground with two officers landing in a bush.
Casto then brings the leashed K-9 over to the man who is now lying face down with his wrists crossed behind his back, the video shows.
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The three officers stand back as Scooby jumps toward the man and latches onto the man’s arm.
An officer repeatedly yells, “Stop resisting!” as the dog shakes its head aggressively.
Screams from bystanders could be heard in the background.
The man's hands remain crossed behind him. Roughly 15 seconds pass before Casto gets the dog to let go of the man's arm.
Officers said in their reports the man had continued to pull his hands away from them while his hands were behind his back.
Canton council members alarmed by video of police dog attacking man
At least two Canton councilmen are asking the city's administration for more information.
Councilman Frank Morris, D-9, said what he saw on the video posted to social media is "alarming."
"What I saw was the police taking a man in custody who was on the ground handcuffed, not appearing to be putting up a fight, and then all of a sudden the police dog was let loose on him. And I felt that it was quite disturbing," Morris said.
Morris said he sent text messages about the incident at 5 a.m. Friday to Safety Director Andrea Perry, Police Chief John Gabbard and Sherer.
Councilman Louis Giavasis, D-at large, said that a video on social media he watched gives a clearer picture of what happened.
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"You can clearly see in the video, he’s biting him, he's biting the gentleman," Giavasis said.“Like everybody else, I'm a little bit shocked by what I saw.”
He said he did not know what happend to cause the officer to put the dog on the man who was on the ground.
"The thing is, I saw his hands were behind his back," Giavasis said. "He was laying on his chest. I don't know at that point, when they first took him to the ground if they handcuffed him. His hands were clearly bound with something."
Multiple charges filed in Canton police dog attack
Police arrested three people during the incident, where multiple officers were exposed to pepper spray during the arrests with at least one taken to Aultman Hospital for treatment.
The 43-year-old bystander whom police said taunted the K-9 was taken to Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital. He then was booked into the Stark County Jail on charges of obstructing official business, resisting arrest, assaulting or harassing a police dog and disorderly conduct, according to jail records. He also was charged with sexual imposition, which appears to be from a separate incident, jail records show.
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The 19-year-old driver of the car that was stopped was arrested on charges of having a weapon under disability, a felony charge of carrying a concealed weapon, improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle, obstructing official business and resisting arrest, county jail records show.
A third man whom police say was threatening officers was arrested on two charges of assault for pushing two officers to the ground and charges of resisting arrest, obstructing official business and disorderly conduct, according to jail records.
Canton Repository staff writer Kelli Weir contributed to this article.
Reach Nancy at 330-580-8382 or nancy.molnar@cantonrep.com. On X, formerly known as Twitter: @nmolnarTR.
