A law enforcement operation in Florence last week took an unexpected turn in a case that could be summed up as “man bites police K-9,” when a man not connected to the investigation was arrested after a confrontation with officers, according to the Florence Police Department.

According to the department, the incident occurred when the Lauderdale County Drug Task Force was executing a search warrant with assistance from the Florence-Lauderdale SWAT team and the department’s K-9 unit.

Police said David Culliver, 46, of Sheffield, arrived at the scene during the operation and inserted himself into the situation despite not being connected to the investigation.

Officers reported that Culliver became belligerent, yelled at law enforcement, and repeatedly stepped into an active roadway with moving traffic. Authorities said officers warned him multiple times to leave the roadway for his safety, but he continued to disrupt traffic and confront officers.

When officers attempted to place Culliver under arrest, police said he resisted and pulled away as multiple officers tried to restrain him. A police K-9 was then deployed to assist in the arrest.

Body camera footage released by the Florence Police Department shows the full encounter from multiple angles during the April 22 incident. Police say the video may contain explicit language.

During the encounter, Culliver allegedly grabbed one of the K-9’s legs and bit the dog, according to the department. Officers struck Culliver in an effort to make him release the animal before taking him to the ground and placing him in handcuffs.

Culliver was transported to North Alabama Medical Center for treatment of puncture wounds from the K-9 before being booked into the Lauderdale County Detention Center.

He is charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, public intoxication, and interfering with a police dog. Culliver is being held on a $2,500 bond and is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The Florence Police Department said it released the full body camera footage to provide additional context beyond shorter clips circulating on social media, noting that the videos capture the entirety of the encounter from multiple angles.

After review, the department determined the use of force in the incident was justified.

Police also provided a timeline showing Culliver returned to the scene multiple times over a roughly 30-minute period before officers moved to arrest him just after 7 p.m. The arrest was completed within minutes.

Courtesy of 256 Today