Nude man bitten in groin by police dog was off meds, relative believes
Howie Padilla and David Chanen, Star Tribune
December 10, 2004 BIT1210
When the Rev. Joe Roberson heard that his grandson was accused of running through Minneapolis streets naked and scuffling with police, he had a good guess at what happened.
"I believe he just quit taking his medications," Roberson said about his grandson, Michael Porter, 19, who was seriously injured Tuesday when a police dog bit him in the groin.
Porter, who remained in serious condition Thursday night at Hennepin County Medical Center, was eventually subdued with a Taser gun.
Roberson said Porter had been taking medication to help him cope with his father's unexpected death about two years ago.
Police said they're looking into whether the dog and Taser were properly used; the investigation is standard procedure in such cases.
Porter was charged Thursday with four counts of felony assault and gross misdemeanor assault. He is accused of wandering through south Minneapolis streets in the Page and Diamond Lake neighborhoods, sometimes wearing only a robe, at other times wearing nothing.
According to the criminal complaint filed in District Court, Porter went through yards and tried to enter homes, at one point removing his robe. Officers tried to ask Porter whether he needed help, then lost sight of him.
More officers, including K-9 officer Bruce Ketzner and his dog, Zack, arrived to set up a perimeter to find him. Ketzner saw Porter naked in the kitchen of a Park Avenue house and ordered him to walk toward him. Porter went to a porch and as Ketzner backed up with his dog to handcuff him, Porter lunged at the officer and hit him in the head, the complaint said.
Zack then bit Porter in the groin area. Porter threw a small fan at Ketzner and other officers who arrived at the scene. Zack released his bite, but Porter continued to hit the officers.
It appears Ketzner was alone with Porter before he hit the officer, but officer Mark Vandaalen, a member of the department's Crisis Intervention Team, was at the scene within minutes, authorities said. Another CIT trained officer also responded from the department's First Precinct in downtown.
Vandaalen shot Porter with a Taser, but Porter could still hit the officer and tried again to throw the fan at Ketzner. Deputy Chief Tim Dolan said Ketzner never let his dog off the lead. "The officer recognized this wasn't a normal burglary," he said.
The department doesn't train their dogs to bite a suspect in the groin area, but on a shirt sleeve, upper thigh or the closest extremity, he said.
The department's canine squad officers are hearing from officers across the country because the case is so unusual, Dolan said.
"Can you train a dog to not attack a naked person?" he asked. "When an officer is attacked, the dog is going to respond. We're not going to change that."
Four officers suffered cuts and bruises, and a fifth suffered injuries that will keep him off duty until Monday.
As Roberson and his wife prepared to drive the 337 miles from Milwaukee to Minneapolis, Roberson remembered talks with Porter, who was trying to take care of things that his father did not have time to do. Porter was hoping his 5-foot-10, 170-pound frame could beat the odds and carry him to the NBA.
That, Porter would say, would bring the money to build his grandparents the home on a ranch his father could never afford.
But Roberson also remembered more ominous times. He remembered times when Porter, a surprisingly strong athlete, would not take his medication.
"He would get hyper and jumpy," he said. "He would get confused asking, 'Where am I at?' He would want to fight everyone."
Roberson is convinced that his grandson, who moved to Minneapolis in August, would not have been on drugs. Eliza Roberson, Porter's grandmother, said Thursday that a nurse told her that there were no signs of drugs in his system.
Mark Anderson, director of the Friends of Barbara Schneider, a mental illness advocacy group, said Thursday that he hoped an investigation will be done into whether the department's CIT officers were used effectively.
Sgt. John Delmonico, president of the police federation, said Ketzner did everything by the book. Ketzner has been with the department for 17 years and has partnered with Zack for four years. No complaints have been filed against the dog, who has apprehended 17 felons during his career, Delmonico said.
About 100 officers have volunteered to receive 40 hours of training to become CIT members. They responded to about 1,300 calls through the beginning of October. Only these officers carry Taser guns and are allowed to take charge of a scene.
Inspector Don Harris, who is in charge of the department's bureau of professional standards, said they will review the case to see if the officers violated any policies on the use of the canine and Taser and what actions led to the encounter. They will also look at training issues.
Dolan said CIT members have done an extraordinary job, but people don't hear about all the success stories. Despite Porter's injuries, his case could be viewed as a success, Dolan said.
"This is a situation that could have ended up with the use of deadly force," Dolan said.
