A 20-year-old man remains in custody in Humble, Texas, after a police dog was deployed during his arrest following a family dispute. Relatives of Christopher Cevilla say the force used against him was unnecessary and have challenged the police account of what happened.
Cevilla is being held on a $50,000 bond after the incident at an apartment complex on Tuesday night. Court filings accuse him of assaulting a public servant, threatening to kill an officer and interfering with a police service animal.
Prosecutors allege that Cevilla grabbed and pushed the head of the K-9 during the arrest. He has not been convicted of the charges.
Family members who witnessed the incident said it began with a domestic argument involving Cevilla, his younger brother Louis, his sister and cousin Deontae Myers. They said Louis and Myers began recording on their mobile phones after Humble police officers arrived, including a K-9 handler.
Louis Cevilla said he was frightened by the situation and did not know what would happen to his brother. Myers said the arrival of the officers heightened his anxiety, adding that he was already on edge as a black man involved in an encounter with police.
Christopher Cevilla, the defendant’s father, disputed the account of how the physical confrontation began. He said an officer tried to tackle his son but fell, then attempted to pull him down while trying to regain his footing.
The father said another officer then released the police dog. Relatives said they repeatedly told officers that Cevilla was unarmed and urged them to call the animal off.
Heather Cevilla claimed that efforts by the handler to pull the dog away appeared to make it bite down more firmly. The family’s account has not been independently verified.
The Humble Police Department had not responded to requests for comment about the arrest or the decision to deploy the K-9.
