A 32-year-old man was attacked by a police dog in New Jersey last month and died shortly thereafter. Video has now surfaced showing the man being bitten by the canine while pinned to the ground by cops during an arrest.
Cops claim that Vineland, NJ resident Phillip G. White, who died in custody on the way to a hospital on March 31st after the K-9 attack, had been acting erratically, and when officers tried to subdue him, he allegedly tried to grab one of their guns. Then, cops say they pinned him and were forced to unleash the dog on him. The attorney representing the two officers who arrested White say the victim was on drugs at the time, and claim he may have died as a result.
“I believe the [toxicology] reports will show that he had ingested a large amount of PCP, cocaine, and another substance,” Attorney Stuart Alterman told reporters. “They [Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office] have not released the autopsy report or the preliminary toxicology."
But others say the incident reeks of police brutality, particularly considering a violent video capturing the dog attack:
The officers, Louis Platania and Richard Janasiak, have been placed on administrative leave. Meanwhile, local church leaders held a vigil at the site of the attack yesterday calling for peace between officers and the community. "We're not here to protest, we're not here to pass judgment, and we're not here to point fingers," Pastor Paul Barreca of Faith Bible Church said yesterday. "We're here to pray and we think that's the most needed gift that we can give to our community today—to pray for one another."
