K9 officer charged with aggravated assault
WARNING: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES AND LANGUAGE
A police department video of the April 24, 2020 incident shows the officer, Nickolas Pearce, responding to a domestic disturbance call with his dog.
The body camera video, which was released by the SLCPD in August 2020, then shows 36-year-old Jeffery Ryans being ordered to lay down on the ground, and screaming in pain.
Officer Pearce was suspended in August. Salt Lake Police said in a statement that it was finalizing its internal affairs investigation into the matter:
"If Internal Affairs finds that Officer Pearce committed a violation, the Chief's Office will follow the disciplinary process required under state and federal law. This can take some time, but we will carry this out as expediently as possible to bring a prompt conclusion to this matter."
