Nearly nine pages of blacked-out text appear in public records released regarding an April 12 incident involving a Fort Worth police K-9 and bystander Regina Allen. The documents confirm that video footage of the event exists, yet the department has denied requests to release the visual evidence to the public.
Allen, a 50-year-old mother and grandmother, states she was attempting to alert officers to the mental state of an elderly neighbor when the dog attacked her on Purington Avenue. She says she raised her arms just before being taken to the ground by the animal. Video from the scene shows the dog pinning her down while officers struggled to regain control.
"I was screaming for help," Allen said. "The officers couldn't even get him off. Even his handler was saying what they say to them, their commands, and he was not listening."
Her husband, Thomas Fisher, along with their son and responding officers, worked to break the dog's grip. Fisher described seeing severe wounds on his wife’s arms as she lay bleeding. Allen recalled looking at her injuries and noting foreign material that should have remained inside her body.
The victim was transported to a hospital where doctors treated nine puncture wounds with 19 stitches. She returned home within days of the attack. An open records request obtained by CBS News Texas included an officer’s report stating, "The K-9 broke free" and "The K-9 bit." The identity of the victim in that report is obscured by redactions.
Attorney Blerim Elmazi represents the family and argues that accountability requires acknowledgment of the event. "What happens is wrong is wrong, mistakes are mistakes," Elmazi said. "And we expect officers and cities who are in the wrong to just admit it, right?"
