Man charged after police tasered him in east London and gunned down his two dogs after tense stand off
9 May 2023, 19:29
Met Police officers taser suspect and shoot two dogs in front of horrified spectators
A man has been charged with dangerous dogs offences after being tasered by police during a stand-off during which police shot the dogs.
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Louie Turnbull, 46, of no fixed address, was charged on Tuesday with being the owner of a dog that was dangerously out of control and being in possession of a dog whilst disqualified from owning or keeping a dog.
Footage from the scene shows the moment police officers tasered Turnbull and shot his dog after a tense stand-off in Tower Hamlets.
Officers are shown holding off a man who shouts and pleads at them as he holds the two animals by a canal in Tower Hamlets.
The dogs bark during the confrontation before one is shot dead by an officer.
Police then taser the man as another officer tries to grab the other dog.
As residents from surrounding flats watch on from balconies, many shouting at the police, an officer shoots the second dog while colleagues detain the man.
The Met said the animals were "destroyed" because they posed a "significant threat to police officers".
In one clip, a distressed witness can be heard shouting "why would you shoot the dog?"
The Met said the incident is being reviewed by its Directorate of Professional Standards.
In a statement released as footage from various social media users was posted online, the Met said officers were called to a woman being attacked by a dog at about 5pm on Sunday.
They were dispatched to Commercial Road "where the aggressive behaviour of two dogs was of considerable concern and posed a significant threat to them".
"A man was arrested in connection with the incident for having a dog dangerously out of control and assault offences," the statement went on.
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"He has been taken into police custody. A Taser was discharged by police.
"No person was taken to hospital. Both dogs were destroyed by police at the scene.
"This is never an easy decision for any officer to take, but police have a duty to act where necessary before any further injury is caused."
A woman who saw the shooting told The Mirror: "It didn't seem proportionate. It is beyond belief.
"It was so shocking. I didn't realise it was a proper gun until the dogs were just lying completely out on the ground. There was blood coming out of them.
"I've never seen anything like that. You hear of these things happening in America but not here. Whatever had happened, it's not an excuse for it to end like that.
"Some of the other neighbours were shouting 'it's disgusting' and 'we're not in America'."
