A suspect was handcuffed after a Jacksonvillle police K9 subdued him.
Published on February 4, 2025 at 11:08 am
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A Jacksonville man is suing Sheriff T.K. Waters and three officers with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office after he says he was injured by a K9 during a traffic stop almost two years ago.
Joseph Bratcher accuses officers of using excessive force by misusing a K9 during a traffic stop on May 17, 2023, on Canal Street in Northwest Jacksonville.
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The lawsuit says Bratcher was pulled over just before 10 p.m. that night. He says the officer who pulled him over, who is not identified in the lawsuit, told him to get out of the car.
Bratcher says the officer called for backup and a K9 officer.
He claims that six officers responded, including the three being sued.
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According to the lawsuit, Bratcher says he got out of the car with his hands in the air and one of the officers told him to walk backward.
Bratcher says he followed those orders and kept saying that “he was scared.”
The lawsuit claims Bratcher complied with all of the commands and never tried to run or confront the officers.
The lawsuit claims one officer told another officer to release the K9 onto Bratcher and says the dog bit him on the right arm for “more than 30 seconds.”
Bratcher says even as he was being bitten, the same officer who ordered the K9 onto him told Bratcher to “crawl to me. Bring me the dog.”
The lawsuit claims Bratcher did what he was told. Bratcher accuses a different officer of kneeling on his back and putting him in handcuffs.
Bratcher says he was taken to a hospital to be treated for his injuries from the K9 bite. He said it caused “significant scarring and disfigurement.”
Bratcher says he was arrested and faced charges of reckless driving and resisting arrest.
The lawsuit goes on to say the State Attorney’s Office dropped those charges less than two months later on Aug. 7, 2023.
Bratcher accuses the officers of excessive force that caused him physical and emotional pain and suffering.
He also accuses Sheriff Waters of battery, even though he was not physically at the traffic stop.
The lawsuit claims Waters is liable for the actions of the officers, saying he gave them authority through the training they received.
According to the lawsuit, Bratcher is calling for a jury trial.
News4JAX reached out to the Sheriff’s Office to get its response to the allegations made in the lawsuit. A spokesperson said, “We’re unable to comment on ongoing lawsuits pertaining to the Sheriff’s Office.”
This story was produced by News4Jax, a Jacksonville Today news partner.
