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FLORENCE, Ala. — In an unusual twist during a drug operation, the Florence Police Department has reported the arrest of a man for allegedly biting a police dog. The incident occurred on Wednesday as law enforcement executed a search warrant.
Authorities have identified the suspect as 46-year-old David Culliver from Sheffield. He faces multiple charges, including resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, public intoxication, and interfering with a police dog. The arrest took place amid a coordinated effort by the Lauderdale County Drug Task Force.
On April 22, officers from the task force, accompanied by the Florence-Lauderdale SWAT team and the department’s K-9 Unit, conducted a search in the 200 block of N. Locus Street in Florence, Alabama.
According to police, Culliver unexpectedly showed up at the scene, despite not being involved in the investigation. “Culliver inserted himself into the situation,” the department stated. “He became belligerent, yelled at officers, and recklessly entered an active roadway with oncoming traffic. Officers repeatedly warned him to leave the street to avoid being hit by a vehicle.”
“Culliver was not involved in the investigation and inserted himself into the situation,” The department said. “He became belligerent, yelled at officers, and stepped into an active roadway with flowing traffic. An officer advised Culliver several times to get out of the roadway so he wouldn’t get hit by a vehicle.”
FPD said Culliver then entered the roadway and kept disrupting traffic, leading officers to tell him he was under arrest. The department said that an officer attempted to place Culliver in handcuffs, but he pulled away and resisted multiple officers as they tried to arrest him.
Then the department shared what happened next:
“A Florence Police K-9 was deployed to assist in taking Culliver into custody. During the apprehension, Culliver grabbed one of the K-9’s legs and bit the K-9. Officers struck Culliver to get him to release the Florence Police K-9. Culliver was taken to the ground and placed into handcuffs. Culliver was transported to the North Alabama Medical Center where he was treated for the K-9 puncture wounds. After receiving treatment, he was transported and booked into the Lauderdale County Detention Center.”
Florence Police Department Spokesperson
Police said Culliver is being held at the Lauderdale County Detention Center on a $2,500 bond.
FPD said they have also uploaded the full body camera footage of the incident onto YouTube in the name of transparency.
“This footage captures the entirety of the encounter, as opposed to the brief clip currently circulating on social media,” the department said. “Shortened videos shared online often present only a limited perspective and may not fully show the sequence of events. Viewing the complete footage is essential to understanding the full context of the situation and ensuring an accurate representation of what occurred. The incident has been thoroughly reviewed, and the use of force applied has been determined to be justified.”
Lauderdale County Sheriff Joe Hamilton also released a statement on the arrest, saying that a deputy on the SWAT team was involved in the incident. Hamilton said that during Culliver’s arrest, the deputy struck Culliver after he bit the dog, which the sheriff said was to “ensure compliance and safeguard the dog.”
“Considering the circumstances, I believe the deputy acted reasonably, and his actions aligned with our use-of-force policy, fulfilling his duties as I expect,” Hamilton said.