A Melbourne man, James Corona, is considering legal action against the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office following the use of a K-9 during his arrest last week. The sheriff’s office posted edited video of the arrest on its Facebook page as part of the department’s ‘Riding Shotgun’ segment.
Arrest Details
According to an arrest report, the incident happened last Tuesday, June 2, near Cocoa after deputies pulled over a car that Corona, 27, was riding in. Court documents show Corona was wanted on a warrant for violating his probation, which he received as part of a sentence for a conviction last May of reckless driving involving alcohol.
The video appears to show Corona with his feet and arms out of the car right before the deputy released the K-9. As the video is edited, it’s unclear how long deputies had been commanding Corona to exit the vehicle. Corona told WESH 2, ‘I got out the car, and they released the dog on me as soon as I got out the car. They said they were going to release the dog if I didn’t cooperate, but, actually, I didn’t understand because I was cooperating.’
Reaction and Investigation
James Smith, a former U.S. military police officer who now works as a criminal defense attorney, watched the video. He’s not connected with the case. Smith said, ‘I think what’s troubling about the video is that you see a suspect whose feet are visible and whose hands are visible and despite that, the K-9 still attacks him. In this instance, you have an unarmed suspect. He doesn’t have a weapon. He’s not presenting any danger at all to anyone, and he appears to be complying at that point with the orders. So the use of a canine to me would appear to be excessive.’
Corona had to receive treatment at a hospital following his encounter with the K-9, according to his arrest report, before he was transported to the Brevard County Jail. Corona and his family believe the use of the K-9 was unjustified, as they claim he was complying with deputies’ orders. They’re considering legal action.
Original reporting: WESH Orlando — read the source article.
