A Surrey, B.C., couple is considering a lawsuit against the RCMP after their teenage son was mauled in the head by a police dog during an arrest.
The 16-year-old, whose identity is protected by law, was chased by an RCMP canine unit after allegedly breaking into a convenience store this weekend. The police dog bit the teenager in the face, sending him to hospital with deep lacerations.
"I was surprised they could stitch it up -- there was hardly any skin there," the teen's mother told CTV News.
She and her husband, who also cannot be identified, described their son's injuries as "gruesome."
The family has since hired a lawyer and is looking to sue the RCMP dog handler for excessive use of force. They also want the dog involved in the attack destroyed.
"There's been a hundred people who have texted us or been on the computer saying: ‘Sorry.' Everybody is mad. Everybody is upset with the RCMP," the mother said.
"I want to see the dogs trained to go after the arms and legs."
The Mounties say it's too early to decide the dog's fate, but they want to meet with the boy's family.
In a similar recent case, a man is suing Vancouver police after he was bitten by a police dog during an arrest.
Chris Evans alleges excessive force was used when police sent a dog after him. He was arrested for smashing the windows of a bus, but prosecutors decided to stay the criminal charges against him last fall.
Vancouver police disagree with Evans' version of events, saying he had struggled during the arrest, so the dog "had to reapply its bite three times."
With a report from CTV News Vancouver's Peter Grainger
