‘He’s on my face!’ Trooper charged after allowing four-minute K-9 attack in Michigan

A Michigan State Police trooper was arrested after he allowed a K-9 to attack a driver for four minutes as the man begged for help, authorities say.

Trooper Parker Surbrook was charged Friday with felonious assault in the Nov. 13 arrest of a driver in Lansing. Surbrook and his police dog attempted to stop a Dodge Durango when the driver drove away and crashed into a tree, authorities say.

As Surbrook and an undercover officer in a van arrived at the crash, a graphic dash-camera video shows the driver on the ground struggling to move. He rolled onto his back and spread his arms before Surbrook commanded the K-9.

“Stay on him!” Surbrook yelled to the dog.

Then Surbrook walked to the other side of the SUV where another officer was arresting the passenger, who had a gun, before returning to the driver, authorities say. Surbrook commanded the dog to continue.

“Please, sir,” the man said. “He’s got my face!”

“I don’t care!” Surbrook replied.

“I’m not moving, sir. I’m not moving,” the man said.

The man told Surbrook his leg was broken and repeated “please, sir” over and over as the dog dragged him on the ground. Investigators later said the man broke his hip in the crash.

“He’s choking me! Please, sir, please,” the man said.

“Good boy, stay on him,” Surbrook told the dog.

After about four minutes, other officers arrived at the scene and the man was handcuffed. Surbrook then removed the dog.

“While the unfortunate reality for police officers is that use of force is sometimes a necessary action to ensure the protection of themselves or others, care and concern for human life should always be at the forefront of any police officer’s actions,” Col. Joe Gasper, the director of the Michigan State Police, said in a news release. “This makes Trooper Surbrook’s disregard of the driver’s pleas for help totally unacceptable.”

Michigan State Police say they learned of the incident Dec. 4 after a supervisor viewed the video during a routine review. Surbrook was put on leave four days later and a criminal investigation began, authorities say. The investigation into Surbrook’s use of the K-9 was presented to prosecutors on Feb. 11.

Surbrook has been with the state police since 2012 and became a K-9 handler in 2017. He was removed from the unit and the dog was assigned to another officer, authorities say.

Surbrook will be on unpaid suspension during the criminal case, authorities say.