Body camera footage obtained by HuffPost shows a police dog viciously attacking an unarmed Black man in front of his 9-year-old son during a traffic stop in Denison, Texas, last year.
Derrick Dunlap, 54, was pulled over by Denison police on May 25, 2023, while his son was with him. Dunlap’s attorneys say police reported that he was stopped because the light over his license plate was too dim.
Footage shows an officer, identified by attorneys as Tyler Buchanan, get out of the police car and say “Here, here, here” to the dog as Dunlap’s child is heard screaming in the background.
The dog is seen repeatedly biting Dunlap, who is in a grassy area with his hands up, trying to get clear of the dog. Buchanan approaches him and shouts “Give me your hands” as he grabs Dunlap’s arm to pull him to the ground as the dog continues to attack.
“Why did you tell him to bite me?” Dunlap twice asks the officer while lying face-down as he’s still being bitten.
“Give me your fucking hand, man,” Buchanan is heard saying to Dunlap. Dunlap continues to scream in pain as Buchanan handcuffs him. “Oh, my God, you are doing this in front of my son,” Dunlap said.
Dunlap’s shirt is ripped open by this point, and as Buchanan shines a flashlight over his back, several bite marks are visible. At this point in the video, Dunlap’s son yells at Buchanan to not kill his father.
“I’m not going to kill him, just get back,” Buchanan says.
Dunlap was taken to a hospital to be treated for his injuries. Pictures from the incident obtained by HuffPost confirm there were bite marks in several places on Dunlap’s back. Dunlap remains scarred from the mauling, his attorney said.
The Denison Police Department never acknowledged the incident publicly. Dunlap filed a lawsuit against Buchanan in December, which the Dallas Morning News reported on in January.
Dunlap’s attorney told HuffPost he is working with the Denison Police Department on addressing the violent arrest. It is unclear if Buchanan or anyone else at the police department has ever been reprimanded.
“Tyler Buchanan betrayed his badge and the code of ethics and should be held fully accountable for his wrongful acts,” said civil rights attorney Daryl Washington in a statement.
“What Tyler Buchanan did to Derrick was demeaning and flat-out hateful.”
Attorney Daryl Washington
Washington, who is representing Dunlap, added that issues with the Denison Police Department are not always getting attention because small-town culture discourages residents from voicing their complaints.
“They are accustomed to getting away with these kinds of things because no one complains. In these smaller cities this is kind of what you expect to happen,” Washington told HuffPost.
Denison police did not respond to requests for comment on the footage obtained or lawsuit.