MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – A dog was stunned with a Taser Wednesday morning as authorities were trying to issue a trespass warning to a man at the property of a restaurant in Miami Beach, authorities said.
According to Miami Beach police spokesman Ernesto Rodriguez, homeless resource officers tried to issue the warning just after 7 a.m. after the man trespassed at El Palacio de los Jugos in the area of Sixth Street and Jefferson Avenue.
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Dontae Leonard Johnson’s arrest report stated that the restaurant is undergoing renovations and is currently closed to the public. Police said the officers were checking on the property due to people continuously trespassing on it when they encountered Johnson, 34, and Johnson’s dog, which was not on a leash.
According to the arrest report, Johnson initially told the officers that he didn’t have ID on him and did not have to provide them with his name.
The officers told him they were detaining him for trespassing and they needed his name for their report.
Authorities said Johnson reached into a bag and was ordered not to reach for anything or grab anything, but he continued to do so, at which time the officers attempted to handcuff him for their safety.
Police said Johnson began to yell and pull away as they were trying to handcuff him, and his dog, a white pit bull, began to become aggressive.
According to the report, Johnson grabbed a handrail with his left hand and his dog’s neck with his right hand as the dog continued to growl and become more aggressive toward the officers.
Police said an officer warned Johnson several times that he was going to stun the dog with a Taser, but Johnson continued to resist arrest.
The officer then deployed their Taser, striking the dog.
Police said Johnson ran off, but was taken into custody a block away.
Authorities said the dog fled the area and has not been located.