The city of Brentwood, California, has agreed to pay nearly $1 million to settle a lawsuit filed by a woman who was severely injured when a police K-9 attacked her during an arrest in 2020. The settlement, announced Friday, follows allegations of excessive force against the city and its police department.
Incident Details
The case stems from the February 2020 arrest of Talmika Bates, who was suspected of shoplifting from a makeup store. Bates was hiding in bushes when a German Shepherd police dog located her and bit her scalp. The attack left her requiring more than 200 stitches, tissue rearrangement, and treatment for multiple lacerations.
Bates’ injuries extended beyond the physical. According to her attorneys, she was later diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic brain syndrome, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Criticism of Police Conduct
Civil rights attorney Adante Pointer condemned the handling of the incident, saying, “K-9s are dangerous, sometimes lethal, weapons that can cause life-altering damage. Here we saw a trained K-9 handler stand by while his dog mauled an unarmed young lady who was surrendering.”
The prolonged nature of the attack became a focal point of the case. In a ruling six months prior to the settlement, a federal judge partially stripped the officer responsible for handling the dog of qualified immunity. The judge determined that the extended time the dog was allowed to bite Bates could be deemed excessive force by a jury.
City’s Response to the Settlement
Brentwood Police Chief Timothy Herbert stated that the city and its insurers opted to settle to avoid further litigation and appeal costs. Herbert defended the legality of the initial deployment of the police K-9, saying, “The District Court ruled that Officer Rezentes lawfully deployed his canine in this search … and that he had a lawful right to use his canine to apprehend Ms. Bates under the Fourth Amendment.”
Herbert also noted that Brentwood’s police department currently does not have any active K-9 units.
Legal and Financial Outcome
The settlement awards Bates $967,000 in damages for the incident. While the city has not admitted wrongdoing, the decision underscores growing scrutiny over the use of police dogs and the potential for excessive force in their deployment.
Bates’ attorneys celebrated the resolution but emphasized the need for accountability in law enforcement practices. “This case is a reminder of the irreversible harm that can be caused by unchecked police actions,” said Pointer.
