Lynnwood police tighten policy after K9 bites child suspect

LYNNWOOD, Wash.  — The Lynnwood Police Department tightened its policy that governs when officers can release their dogs after one bit an 11-year-old boy.

The Everett Daily Herald reports that officers responded to a report of a possible break-in at a store last year and when they arrived, the suspects ran.

An officer sent his police dog after the suspects and the dog caught the group. The animal bit one of the suspects, who turned out to be 11 years old.

Police Chief Tom Davis says they didn't charge the boy and his friends because of their ages and the circumstances.

The department apologized to the boy and his family, and the officer was reprimanded in October.

The city paid the $1,752 in medical bills for puncture wounds that required stitches.