Police who killed two out-of-control dogs and Tasered their owner cleared of wrongdoing

Armed police who killed two out-of-control dogs and Tasered their owner have been cleared of wrongdoing.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launched its investigation five days after the incident in Poplar, east London on May 7, 2023.

Viral footage circulated of the officers from the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police forces during an incident that resulted in Louie Turnbull’s dogs being killed beside a canal in Limehouse.

The video showed officers pursuing a man holding the dogs on short leads before the situation escalated, leading to the man being tasered to the ground and the animals being shot dead.

‘No indication of criminal offence’

On Friday, the IOPC said it had found “no indication” that any officers “behaved in a manner which would justify disciplinary action or had committed a criminal offence”.

It added: “We reviewed police body-worn video, CCTV footage, mobile phone footage, the 999 call, radio transmissions, and obtained statements from police witnesses, members of the public and expert witnesses. The experts advised us on police training, policies, legislation, personnel, equipment, seizing dogs, destroying dogs and the aftermath of destruction.

“We have asked both forces to consider the availability and demand for dog handlers, and whether their current resourcing is adequate.

“Our investigation concluded in September. All parties have been informed of our decision and due to welfare concerns for some of the individuals involved in this matter, we will not be publishing/issuing any further information.”

Police said they had been called shortly after 5pm to reports of a woman being attacked by a dog in Commercial Road in east London. She suffered an injury to her leg but did not need hospital treatment.

Turnbull was handed a suspended sentence in November 2023 after pleading guilty to owning two dangerously out-of-control dogs. He was sentenced to 14 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months.

At the time of incident, he was under a 20-year ban from owning dogs, with the court order instated in November 2019 following a similar incident for which he also received a suspended sentence.

Repeatedly refused to comply

Responding to the IOPC decision, Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway, who leads policing in the area for the Met Police, said: “The IOPC investigation has been extensive, examining every aspect of what happened that day and scrutinising body-worn video, mobile-phone footage and CCTV of the incident as well as consulting dangerous dog experts.

“The investigation found the officers faced a really challenging situation and made numerous attempts to get the owner of the aggressive animals – after they had attacked a woman and her dog – to surrender them to prevent further injury to anyone.

“The officers demonstrated impressive restraint and bravery in trying to resolve the situation in the face of the owner repeatedly refusing to comply, and only took further action when they were left with no choice after the dogs came free of the man’s grip.

“Parts of the incident were filmed and posted on social media and we know how much distress this matter caused. None of us would wish to see injury to any animal and that includes our officers, who only acted to ensure the safety of everyone involved.

“Police officers are highly trained to deal with situations involving dogs that are dangerously out of control and their overriding concern will always be to ensure the safety of the public.”

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