TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – Court records indicate the City of Toledo has reached a settlement with a man who was attacked by a police K-9 during a traffic stop. It’s a story that made national headlines and sparked community outrage.
Court filings said the city reached a settlement with Brandon Upchurch, who filed a lawsuit earlier this year alleging police violated his civil rights when officers used “unlawful excessive force” against him last year.
Toledo City Council will still need to approve the settlement payment, the court record shows, but the exact amount they’re agreeing to is unclear at this time. His lawsuit initially sought $75,000 in damages.
Toledo Police conducted an internal investigation into the incident and determined officers acted within department policy, so no disciplinary action was required. One officer received a reprimand or failing to visually verify the license plate with the information received from the license plate reader.
“While the deployment itself was deemed lawful, I believe a different course of action might have produced a more favorable outcome,” the statement from TPD Chief Troendle said at the time. “To achieve such outcomes, we have been reviewing and revising departmental policies and training protocols related to canine deployments. Our goal is to ensure officers have all the available tools and information necessary to make the most appropriate use of force decisions in any given situation.”
The incident led to a change in department policy that says a K-9 should only be used as a last resort during an arrest.
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This article was published by WTVG on 2025-09-02 16:48:00
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