Ore. police dog bites wrong man, intruder flees

[Liberal_in_LA]

Ore. police dog bites wrong man, intruder flees

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -- A Eugene man fighting a home intruder to defend his mother and young children was bitten by a police dog after officers mistook him for the prowler they had been chasing through the neighborhood. Tim Crossan told The Register-Guard he broke his hand on the intruder's face during the fight, just before police burst in and sent the dog after him.

The 39-year-old father of three told the Eugene newspaper the dog bit through his left calf before clamping down on his thigh and then his left buttock.

The intruder, meanwhile, escaped and Crossan said he is upset that police have not offered him an apology for the bites that landed him in the hospital overnight earlier this week.

Eugene Police Chief Pete Kerns on Friday said the incident was "unfortunate" but praised Crossan for defending his home, calling his actions "heroic."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ODD_INTRUDER_POLICE_DOG?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2009-11-09-15-30-21

[951-Riverside]

1. Three questions...

1. Are they going to pay for his medical bills?
2. Did the intruder escape before or after the dog was sent in?
3. Did anyone announce their presence before the dog was sent?

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. The guy needs an attorney

[tblue]

3. That is totally unacceptable. Accidents happen but

of course they need to apologize to the man and pay his medical expenses. Way to endear your PD to the community you serve.

[Merchant Marine]

4. Should've shot the intruder

instead of waiting for the cops to show up and make the situation worse.

[MrScorpio]

5. Does that heroism include defending himself against an errant police dog?

I wonder.