Hattingen
Police dog attacks 73-year-old in parking lot
A police dog with its handler (symbolic image): There was an attack on a senior citizen in Hattingen
© Imago Images
A police dog is said to have bitten and injured a 73-year-old woman in Hattingen. The dog handler is now being investigated.
In Hattingen in the Ennepe-Ruhr district in North Rhine-Westphalia, a 73-year-old woman was attacked by a police dog. As the police reported on Thursday, the incident occurred on Saturday evening. The senior citizen was standing at her car in a parking lot when she was bitten by the animal, which was on a flex leash. The woman was taken to a hospital with head injuries and an injury to her left forearm, Duisburg police said on Thursday. The 45-year-old police officer, who looked after the dog and had it with him in his free time at the time of the attack, is being investigated on suspicion of negligent bodily harm. It was said that he immediately pulled the dog away from the woman and administered first aid.
Police dog not on duty after incident in Hattingen
The dog is currently not on duty, said a spokesman for the Düsseldorf police headquarters. The 45-year-old service dog handler works there. For reasons of neutrality, the Duisburg criminal police are investigating. According to a police spokesman, it is common for police dog handlers to look after their animal outside of work hours and to take the dog home with them.
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