Father Of Tracy Teen Attacked By Police K-9 Looking For Answers
TRACY (CBS13) - A 13-year-old boy is recovering tonight after being attacked by a Tracy police K-9.
"He's hurt, you know? He probably won't ever walk out here again, you get what I mean? 'Cause he's scared," said John Jacobo, the victim's father.
The dog somehow managed to get out of its handlers' patrol car when it was supposed to be locked, and a neighbor may have saved the boy's life.
Tracy police says something like this has never happened before at the department, and now they're trying to figure out what went wrong.
"I want answers," said Jacobo.
Jacobo shows a picture of his 13-year-old son's punctured and bloody arm.
"The dog spotted him and just started chasing him," said Jacobo.
Just before 9 p.m. Thursday, a K-9 officer managed to somehow get out of the backdoor of its handlers parked patrol car that was supposed to be secured, according to a Tracy Police Department statement.
Jacobo says his teenage son was walking home along Peony Drive from a nearby friend's house when, he says, the dog started running after him.
"He jumped on him, knocked him down and started to try and drag him all over the place by his arm," said Jacobo.
Jacobo says he heard the commotion down the street and came out to find a terrifying scene.
"I see something in the center of the road, which I thought it was maybe him, but it was actually a bystander that pulled the dog off my son and was laying on it in the middle of the road waiting for someone to come help him," said Jacobo.
Investigators say their K-9 vehicles can be opened with a remote control but it's still unclear how the dog got out.
"There's two things wrong that happened that I want to know. What's wrong with the car, first. Second, why did that dog attack a person that was walking away and is a child?" said Jacobo.
Jacobo says his son's sense of safety on his own street is shattered.
"It's going to affect him for a long time. It's not even just the bruises, the cuts…he thought he was going to die by something that is supposed to protect you," said Jacobo.
But he knows his injuries could have been so much worse, if not for a brave neighbor who stepped in.
"I'm so grateful for him because he was there when I wasn't. He became that man. I wasn't there and he was and I appreciate him," said a tearful Jacobo.
Jacobo says he doesn't believe the K-9 that attacked his son should ever be allowed to patrol the streets again.
Both the police vehicle and the K-9 officer are out of service as the investigation continues.