Teen sues City of Winnipeg after alleged police dog attack, claims lasting injuries

The Manitoba Law Courts building in Winnipeg on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

A Winnipeg teenager is taking the city to court, alleging she suffered severe and permanent injuries after being attacked by a police dog during an arrest last summer.

The statement of claim, filed on March 6 in Manitoba’s Court of King’s Bench, alleges officers with the Winnipeg Police Service used excessive force when they deployed a police dog against the minor during an encounter in the early hours of June 4, 2025.

According to the claim, the seventeen-year-old—described as “a small slightly built girl”—was arrested during the incident and detained by officers. The lawsuit alleges the arrest involved the deployment of a “large, vicious, and dangerous” police dog that attacked and bit her.

“The use of the beast to detain the small girl such as the plaintiff, who did not resist or attempt to flee, was unnecessary and amounted to grossly excessive force and violence in the circumstances,” reads the 6-page filing.

The suit alleges officers failed to control the dog while it bit her and ignored her screams as the animal continued attacking. It also alleges the dog continued biting her even as officers placed her in handcuffs, and that an officer accused her of causing her own injuries by continuing to scream.

The teenager, who CTV News is not naming due to her age, was later released from custody without being charged, according to the claim.

The lawsuit alleges the teen suffered severe bite wounds to her right leg that required emergency treatment at the Health Sciences Centre, including numerous sutures. It claims the injuries required months to heal and left permanent nerve and tissue damage, including numbness and loss of use of her leg.

The statement of claim also alleges the incident caused lasting psychological trauma, including insomnia and nightmares, and that she requires plastic surgery to reduce the scarring left from the attack.

“Such conduct of the police officers of the Winnipeg Police Service was high handed, arbitrary, unconstitutional, and amounted to the application of senselessly excessive force,” it reads.

The filing is seeking an unspecified amount in damages, as well as legal costs. It alleges her rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms—including the right to liberty and protection from arbitrary detention—were violated.

The claim also relies on provisions of Manitoba’s Animal Liability Act.

The City of Winnipeg and the Winnipeg Police Service—the latter of whom is not listed as a defendant in the suit—declined to comment as the case is before the courts.

None of the allegations have been tested in court and no statement of defence has been filed.