The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department acknowledged it was aware of a viral video appearing to show an officer kicking a police K9 during an arrest.
A spokesperson for the department said in an email Friday to the California Post that officers had responded to a report of a shooting in the 6300 block of Rubylyn Avenue, near Tropicana Avenue and Boulder Highway. After they arrived, the spokesperson said, officers “learned that a shooting did not occur.” The 35-second clip was first posted Tuesday on the Facebook page for LVEI, short for Las Vegas Emergency Incidents.
The video shows a woman with her hands up as the camera pans to a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officer struggling to control a barking K9. The officer kicks the dog twice with his right leg or foot before walking with the animal toward the front of a police car. The camera then points back to the woman before the clip ends.
The department did not specify whether it was investigating the incident. “We are aware of the social media video circulating on the internet regarding this incident,” the department said in its statement.
Social media users reacted swiftly to the footage. “Why did the L9 GET KICK WTH???????” Commented Facebook user Patti Gugino on the LVEI post. A Reddit post about the incident captioned “I hope we can all at least agree that kicking a K-9 dog should be sufficient reason to fire a police officer,” had more than 182 upvotes and 41 comments.
“It’s like kicking your own kids,” said one Reddit user who goes by the name Ballaroz on the site.
The incident has drawn comparisons to other cases of alleged police misconduct involving animals. Police K9 units are typically trained using specialized techniques, and officers who handle them undergo extensive instruction in canine behavior and control. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has not identified the officer involved or released any additional details about his status.
Animal welfare advocates and critics of police practices have seized on the video as evidence of broader concerns about accountability. The footage circulated widely across multiple platforms, with users sharing slowed-down versions and still frames of the moment the officer’s foot made contact with the dog.
In the viral moment that sparked the backlash, the officer appears to lose control of the agitated dog before delivering two kicks. The K9 continues barking throughout the encounter. The woman with her hands up remains in the frame at the beginning and end of the video, though her connection to the police response is unclear. No arrests or injuries were reported from the original call.
The department has not announced any public review or hearing related to the incident.