Teen sues city, claims police dog left her with permanent injuries
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A 17-year-old girl is suing the city after she alleges she was left with life-altering injuries when a Winnipeg police dog bit her while she was being detained.
In a statement of claim filed in Manitoba Court of King’s Bench last week, the teen, who the Free Press is not naming because she is a minor involved with a police matter, is suing the City of Winnipeg for unspecified general, aggravated, punitive and constitutional damages.
The teen, described as “a small, slightly built girl of 17,” claims she was “attacked, arrested and detained” by several Winnipeg Police Service officers on June 4, 2025, at about 1 a.m.
The court papers say that in order to detain the teen, officers first deployed “a large, vicious and dangerous, non-human, canine animal,” which the lawsuit calls the “beast” in subsequent references.
She claims using the dog was “unnecessary and amounted to grossly excessive force and violence” because she was not trying to get away.
The teen also says that during the attack a police officer said she was “causing her own injuries by continuing to scream.” She claims the dog continued to attack her when officers put handcuffs on her.
She said police later released her without laying any charges.
The teen claims in the suit she required multiple stitches, as well as plastic surgery, for “deep and gaping wounds” to her right leg. She said she has been left with permanent nerve and tissue damage, which has resulted in “numbness and loss of use of her right leg.” She also experiences insomnia and nightmares, the court papers allege.
Both the teen and her lawyer, Ian Histed, could not be reached for comment.
A Winnipeg police spokesman said Monday they couldn’t comment about the matter because it is before the courts and was turned over to the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba.
A spokesman for the province’s police watchdog said “the investigation did not meet the test of a serious injury — individual treated and released from hospital — and therefore no investigation was undertaken.”
No statement of defence has been filed and the matter hasn’t been tested in court.
kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press’s city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin.
Every piece of reporting Kevin produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
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Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press’s city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin.
Every piece of reporting Kevin produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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