Family of boy 'viciously' attacked by Calgary police dog sues for $600K - Action News
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Calgary

Family of boy 'viciously' attacked by Calgary police dog sues for $600K

The parents of a 12-year-old boy who was attacked by a Calgary police dog are suing the City of Calgary and the dog's handler for $600,000.

Belgian Malinois named Marco was sent to a U.S. kennel after the attack

Ali Hassan was attacked by Marco last March. His family is suing the city and the dog's handler for $600,000 (Calgary Police Service/CBC)

The parents of a 12-year-oldboy,who they say hasPTSD and a "disfiguring wound" after being attacked by a Calgary police dog, are suing the City of Calgary and the dog's handler for $600,000.

The statement of claim filed this week at the Calgary Courts Centre alleges the the K9 unit'sBelgian Malinois namedMarco had gotten out of his house before and "had a known propensity for escape."

Marcogot out of hisbackyard in Aspen Hills on March 30, 2016 and chasedAli Hassan who had been playing with two of his friends into his house.

"The dog viciouslyand violently attacked Ali in the kitchen," according to the statement of claim.

The attack happened in front of Ali's parents, who tried to pull the dog off their son. Cst. Will Glover, who wasMarco's handler at the time, arrived and took the animal out of the victim's house.

None of the allegations in the statement of claim have been proven in court. A statement of defence has not yet been filed.

Surgeries and PTSD

Glover failed in a number of ways, according to the document, including that he did notproperly train, muzzle, harness, or socialize Marco to live in a residential neighbourhood.

Ali's injuries included a "disfiguring" wound on his right leg from Marco's bite, stiffness and loss of motion in his leg, PTSD and anxiety, accordingto the statement.

The bite Ali suffered on his leg was rated by bylaw officers at the time as a five on the Dunbardog bitescale, wheresixis death.

The boy has also undergone surgery, therapy and rehab following the attack.

"The attack was vicious and was precipitated by a casual, unconcerned and cavalier attitude towards the safety of those in the community," reads the document.

Marco sent back to U.S.

The handler was charged with four bylaw infractions, includingallowing a dog to run at large and another of an animal attacking a person and causing severe injury.

Glover was also charged in a separate, previous incident that saw his pet Doberman and Marco escape from his yard and run away weeks earlier.

Police have said they'll do an administrative review of the incident.

Marco has been sent back to a U.S. kennel.