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Screenshot of the discussed video
A debate about the use of police dogs has broken out in the United States.
A short clip circulating on social media shows three white police officers chasing a dog on a black man in the town of Woodson Terrace, Missouri, USA.
The man looks visibly upset in the video - but he seems to have already been arrested by the officers.
When they let the dog off the leash, the man is leaning forward in front of a car and has his hands on the bonnet.
Users are now calling for the three officers to be dismissed immediately on Twitter and Facebook.
The responsible police station said they would carefully examine the video and the case.
However, she also made a number of statements that relativize the incident from her point of view.
The arrested man had previously issued death threats against the officers, according to a statement from Woodson Terrace police.
He tried to escape several times.
The man was also under the influence of drugs.
When the police tried to arrest the man, he resisted and slightly injured one of the officers.
Dog is said to have thwarted an attempt to escape
The man had been warned several times that the police dog would be used if he did not cooperate, the police station said in a statement.
It was only when he continued to resist that the dog was let off the leash.
When the dog let go of the man, he tried again to flee.
Then the dog was let off the leash again and the man was finally arrested, it is said.
The arrested person initially refused medical treatment.
He was searched and had the drug methamphetamine with him.
"Disturbing" and "Problematic"
The video actually shows how the man tries to jump up and run away when the dog lets go of him.
Michael Gould, a police dog expert, told the local newspaper KSDK that he still found the video "disturbing" and the use of the animals "problematic".
Of course, he doesn't know exactly what situation the police were in, but it seems to him as if they had already had the man under control when they let the dog off the leash.
He describes the man's attempt to escape as a reflex.
It is hardly to be expected that a person who is currently being attacked by a sharp dog will behave cooperatively in the next moment.
You can watch the full video here. However, you should be aware that it contains violent scenes.
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