Circleville Police Excessive Force With A Dog - Police K9 Attacks Man With His Hands Up

A newly released video shows a Circleville police dog mauling an unarmed Black man who had already surrendered to authorities following a vehicle chase through multiple counties.
Circleville Police Department
Police department in Circleville, Ohio
Address: 151 E Franklin St, Circleville, OH 43113
Phone: (740) 477-8231

The footage, which was first obtained by the Scioto Valley Guardian earlier this week through a public records request, came from a body camera worn by a Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper, who was also present during the July 4 arrest.

The Circleville Police told The Dispatch they are reviewing the conduct of the K9-handling officer – identified as Ryan Speakman in the highway patrol's written report – but refused to say whether Speakman or any other officers have been placed on leave.

The Dispatch has made a public records request for Speakman's personnel file.

“This type of behavior should not be tolerated,” said Nana Watson, president of the NAACP’s Columbus chapter.

Watson compared the video to images of police dogs used against protesters in the South during the Civil Rights Movement.

“It brings back those hurtful memories of hate for Black people,” Watson said.

The chase began after the driver, Jadarrius Rose, 23, of Memphis, Tenn., failed to stop for a vehicle inspection by a state trooper in Jackson County.

The full video released by the highway patrol is over 40 minutes long. The beginning shows part of the chase along Routes 35 and 23, before the truck comes to a stop in Pickaway County, around 10 a.m. The vehicle, which had been going the speed limit most of the time according to the report, stops after officers deploy "stop sticks" – bars with spikes that flatten the vehicle's tires.

Over a dozen officers from the highway patrol and Pickaway sheriff's office then approach the truck from behind with their guns drawn. After a few minutes, Rose, the driver, exits the vehicle and is seen standing outside his truck, wearing shorts and a T-shirt. He has his hands up and seems to comply with state highway troopers’ commands to surrender.

Then, a K-9 unit from Circleville Police Department arrives on the opposite side of the road and approaches Rose.

The Circleville officers and the state troopers appear to give Rose conflicting commands, with a trooper ordering the man to come towards him while a Circleville officer orders him to get on the ground. Rose stands in place with his hands up.

One trooper repeatedly says, “Do not release the dog with his hands up!”

Speakman, the Circleville officer, releases the dog, which initially runs towards a trooper. But then the handler redirects the dog toward Rose by yelling and pointing.

The dog attacks Rose, dragging him to the ground.

“Get the dog off of him! Get the dog off of him!” shouts another officer.

Rose screams: “Get it off! Please! Please!”

The dog’s handlers run to Rose and pin him on the ground before the dog stops the attack. The dog bites Rose for between 10 and 20 seconds. He is seen bleeding from his arm.

Afterwards, the trooper who yelled “Do not release the dog” can be heard asking colleagues, “Was I not loud enough?”

“You said it three, four … times,” says another trooper.

Video shows the highway patrol provided first-aid on site.

Rose, who has been released from jail, told the Dispatch that he couldn't talk about why he didn't initially stop. About the video, he said, "I'm just glad that it was recorded. What you saw is what, pretty much, happened."

Lt. Nathan Dennis, a spokesperson for the highway patrol, said Rose was unarmed. The only charge listed against him in the incident report is "failure to comply with an order or signal of a police officer."

Jeffrey Marks, the Ross County Prosecutor, told the Dispatch that his office is planning to press charges against Rose for failure to comply with officers’ orders.

He said the charges — normally a misdemeanor — would be elevated to a third-degree felony because “his…conduct caused a substantial physical risk to persons and property.”

The prosecutor said the fact that Rose was attacked by the Circleville K-9 would not play into his decision to press charges against Rose.

“We’re dealing with the conduct of what (Rose) did well before any of that happened," Marks said.

Circleville Police Officer Kory Yoder said the department would provide no information until the excessive force review is complete. Circleville police have not released video footage or the incident report.

"Circleville’s African American community is small. Our interaction with local law enforcement is minimal," said Deborah Lowe Wright, 71, the founder and director of the Pickaway County African American Heritage Association.

She said she had watched the video. "My surprise is the man thought he could outrun the police in a semi-truck," she said, adding that attempts to "to interject racial discord over this incident will not come from local citizens."