Two Alaska state troopers are facing criminal charges after they allegedly assaulted a man they thought was someone with an outstanding arrest warrant, then unleashed a police dog, causing the man to bite repeatedly.
Officer Joseph Miller, 49, and dog trainer Jason Woodruff, 42, were charged with fourth-degree assault, a misdemeanor, in connection with the May 24 incident in Kenai.
Kenai is a city located southwest of Anchorage on the Kenai River.
Alaska Department of Public Safety Commissioner James Cockrell said at a press conference Thursday that he was “disgusted” by the body camera footage of the incident.
“I’ve been with this department for 33 years and I’ve never seen this type of behavior by an Alaska State Trooper,” he told reporters.
He was hit with a stun gun, kicked and bitten multiple times.
In the May 24 incident, Alaska State Troopers and Kenai Police received a call about possible illegal camping in a vehicle at a dog park in Soldotna and were informed the SUV was associated with Garrett Tikka.
Tikka had an arrest warrant out for failing to serve a 10-day jail sentence for driving with a revoked license.
However, when officers responded to the vehicle, they were unable to confirm the identity of the person in the vehicle, Cockrell said, and the man in the vehicle was not Garrett Tikka, but his cousin, Ben Tikka.
Cockrell said officers saw a man in the back seat of the car and told him he had a warrant for his arrest and ordered him out, but the man protested and refused to let him out.
Cockrell said Miller then broke the rear window of the vehicle and sprayed pepper spray at the person in the back seat.
When Tikka finally got out of the car, Miller kicked him, punched him in the back of the head and neck, then stomped on his head and pushed him onto the ground, which was covered in broken window glass, Cockrell said.
Miller repeatedly used his Taser to try to handcuff the man, and when he began to comply with commands, Woodruff deployed the dog. Cockrell said the man was face down with his hands behind his back, but the dog repeatedly bit him at Woodruff’s command. The dog, named Olex, had bitten its owner Woodruff minutes earlier, according to the indictment.
“Please stop the dog. Please stop the dog,” a bloody Tikka pleaded, according to the charging document.
The man was eventually handcuffed, given first aid by other officers and transported to an area hospital for treatment.
He was arrested on multiple charges, including fourth-degree assault for placing an officer in fear of bodily harm, before the Kenai District Attorney’s Office dismissed the case.
It was only when Tikka was taken to hospital that the officers realised they had transported the wrong man.
Ben Tikka required surgery for muscle tears, suffered a broken shoulder, a cut to his head and a dog bite wound to his upper left arm.
Image taken from body camera footage of an altercation between Alaska State Troopers and Ben Tikka in Soldotna, Alaska, May 24, 2024. Alaska 3rd Judicial District/AP
Police behaviour “unacceptable”
After the incident, a standard investigation into use of force and incidents involving police dogs was conducted. The commander who investigated determined that “multiple policy violations may have occurred” and notified higher-ups. From there, Cockrell personally reviewed the body camera footage and ordered a criminal investigation.
The case was investigated by the Alaska Bureau of Investigation and then referred to the Alaska Department of Justice’s Office of Special Prosecutors, which filed criminal charges Wednesday.
“Let me be clear: the actions of these two individuals are unacceptable to me, contrary to our training and policies, and I know unacceptable to the Alaskans we serve,” Cockrell said Thursday.
A visibly upset Cockrell told reporters that officers should have checked to see who was in the car before smashing the window.
Deputy Attorney General John Skidmore told reporters he could not recall a state police officer being charged with such a crime in his 25 years with the state, though the state has previously charged police in Bethel and Anchorage with using excessive force.
Officials announced Thursday that the Alaska Department of Public Safety will not release body camera footage from the incident until the criminal case is over.
Miller has worked for the Alaska Department of Forestry for 14 years and Woodruff for 16 years, both most recently based in Soldotna.
Authorities announced Thursday that both officers are currently on administrative leave and the police dog officer involved is no longer on duty. Cockrell said authorities are investigating previous incidents involving those officers for possible violations.
An attorney had not been named for Miller on Friday. NBC News has contacted Woodruff’s attorney. Both men are scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 10.
