Florence Man Being Arrested Bites Police Dog
By Rick McCann
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News
April 30, 2026
FLORENCE, Ala. Police in the northwestern part of Alabama say that a man that officers were arresting on Wednesday grabbed their police K-9 and bit the dog while officers were subduing him.
Police said that the man, identified as David Culliver, 46, of Sheffield, was resisting arrest and that their police dog had bitten the man and that’s when he sunk his teeth into the police dog.
Police body camera footage released by the department depicts the encounter between Culliver and police that were helping to execute a search warrant in the 200 block of North Locust Street.
“Culliver was not involved in the investigation and inserted himself into the situation,” the department said in a Facebook post. “He became belligerent, yelled at officers, and stepped into an active roadway with flowing traffic.”
Culliver walked up to officers several times seemingly intoxicated and has several exchanges with them.
After refusing to leave the area, police attempted to arrest Culliver and that’s when he began fighting officers.
During the attempted arrest, Culliver asks why he is being arrested and can be seen struggling as four officers surround him.
Body cam footage from “officer 2” or the K-9 officer shows him behind the four officials and telling them to “watch out” or they’ll get bit.
As one officer holds Culliver’s upper body and another holds his legs, the dog is commanded to bite him.
Culliver grabs the dog’s leg as he is being bitten, and several officers strike him in the head and upper body before he lets go.
That is when Culliver bites the dog and is struck several more times before eventually being handcuffed by police.
“The incident has been thoroughly reviewed, and the use of force applied has been determined to be justified,” Florence police said.
Culliver was taken to North Alabama Medical Center to be treated for his K-9 wounds and then taken to the Lauderdale County Detention Center.
He has a $2,500 bond and is charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, public intoxication and interfering with a police dog.
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