TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — A video involving a Terre Haute police officer kicking a dog is going viral on social media.
A woman named Haley Richey originally posted the video on Twitter Tuesday afternoon. She says someone broke into her house while she was at work, but her dogs scared the intruder off.
When police arrived, they approached the front porch, where one of the dogs was standing and barking. One of the cops then kicks the dog repeatedly until it runs away. The entire incident was caught on the woman’s Ring door bell video camera.
https://twitter.com/haleyjrichey/status/1465785057134710787
In less than 24 hours, the video has been shared thousands of times on Twitter and Facebook, with many people calling for the cop to be punished.
The Terre Haute Police Department has responded with a full statement on Facebook, plus body camera footage from the officer. THPD says there was no call for burglary, but rather, a complaint about an aggressive dog. The body cam shows the officer going to the neighbor’s house to talk about the dogs, then walks back over to the house where the dogs came from. The officer claims the dog lunged at him, which is why he kicked it.
THPD says it is still investigating the incident, and the sergeant will be placed on administrative duty assignment.
