Two Alaska State Troopers have been charged with assault after they beat, stunned and used a police dog on an innocent man in a case of mistaken identity.
Sargent Joseph Miller, 49, and Canine handler Jason Woodruff, 42, were charged with fourth-degree misdemeanor assault after they caused serious injuries to 37-year-old Ben Tikka.
Charging documents said the troopers were on the lookout for Garrett Tikka, who was wanted for failing to serve a 10-day sentence for driving with a revoked license.
On May 24, the accused duo assumed that had gotten hold of Garrett after they found a SUV parked in the Kenai Peninsula community of Soldotna, southwest of Anchorage.
But instead of Garrett, the man inside the vehicle was his cousin, Ben.
Sargent Joseph Miller, 49, and Canine handler Jason Woodruff, 42, (pictured) were charged with fourth-degree misdemeanor assault after they caused serious injuries to 37-year-old Ben Tikka
When they approached the vehicle, both men saw Ben in the back and ordered him to get out of the car, citing a warrant for his arrest.
After he did not respond, Miller notified Ben that he was going to pepper spray the inside of the truck if he refused to come out.
‘Tikka — either you come out or we’re going to bust out your window and send in the dog to bite you’, Miller told the innocent man according to court documents.
As Ben continued to refuse to come out and repeatedly told the officers that there was no warrant for him, Miller allegedly broke a back window of the car as Woodruff supposedly threatened to send a police dog into the truck.
The filing states that Miller went on to unleash a can of pepper spray into the vehicle- causing Ben to scream and ultimately open the car door.
As the victim fell out on to the ground, Miller allegedly kicked him in the shin and struck the back of his head or neck with his fist.
Court documents state Miller then deployed a stun gun and in the process, stepped on Ben’s head – pushing it into the ground where the broken glass from the window remained.
The filing states that Miller went on to unleash a can of pepper spray into the vehicle- causing Ben to scream and ultimately open the car door
Body camera images show Ben lying on the ground next to the black truck with blood on his forehead and the dog leaping onto him
As he screamed, ‘What are you doing?’, Miller stunned him in the back and the canine bit him in his abdomen.
Body camera images show Ben lying on the ground next to the black truck with blood on his forehead and the dog leaping onto him.
‘My hands are behind my back, sir, please stop. Please, stop you guys I am not a criminal,’ Ben allegedly told the officers as the dog pounced on him.
But despite pleas, the lawsuit states that Woodruff continued to give the bite command – leading to Ben’s face and head to bleed profusely.
Court documents noted that at no point did either of the accused ask for Ben’s full name and instead only addressed him by Tikka during the encounter.
James Cockrell, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Public Safety confirmed in a recent news conference that both troopers had been placed on administrative leave and he was the one to refer their cases for a criminal investigation
As a result of the incident, Ben was left with an open bite on his left arm, multiple fractures and lacerations on his triceps and head.
James Cockrell, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Public Safety confirmed in a recent news conference that both troopers had been placed on administrative leave and he was the one to refer their cases for a criminal investigation.
‘I was totally sickened by what I saw. I’ve been with this department for 33 years, and I’ve never seen any action like this before.
‘It’s hard for me to equate how this has affected me and other troopers that wear this uniform,’ he said.
Woodruff and Miller will be arraigned in court on September 10 in Kenai.