Escaped police dog attacks woman in her own yard. Now San Diego may pay her $600,000

San Diego officials were set to approve a $600,000 payout to a woman who was bitten by a police dog after it escaped its trainer’s yard and found its way into her backyard, according to media reports.

The woman was “bit repeatedly by a San Diego Police K9 after the dog jumped over the backyard fence” in January 2021, according to KFMB. The dog initially tried to attack the woman’s 5-year-old daughter.

McClatchy News reached out to San Diego officials on Sept. 21 to confirm if the victim had received the payout and was awaiting a response.

In a lawsuit filed in March and acquired by The San Diego Union-Tribune, the woman referred to the bite as “vicious” and an “unprovoked attack”. The lawsuit also said that animals such as K9’s should be held in secure locations and not residential areas.

The lawsuit said that the dog, which tried to attack the woman’s daughter but couldn’t because she was protected by the netting of a trampoline, bit the woman’s leg, causing severe injuries.

City officials described the bite as “unintentional” and said that the dog escaped the trainer’s backyard due to a broken latch while he was cleaning its kennel, according to USA Today.

The city of San Diego was scheduled to approve the $600,000 payout on Sept. 20 after its preliminary approval last month, according to USA Today. The payout is supposed to cover medical bills and therapy that the victim and daughter may need.

This story was originally published September 21, 2022 at 2:07 PM with the headline "Escaped police dog attacks woman in her own yard. Now San Diego may pay her $600,000."