Michigan trooper charged with assault for not calling off dog that was attacking suspect with broken hip

A jury acquitted a Michigan State Police trooper who was charged with assault for not calling off his dog when a suspect was on the ground with a broken hip.

Prosecutors said Parker Surbrook's police dog, Knox, bit and pulled on Robert Gilliam for nearly four minutes in Lansing in 2020. The man couldn't flee because of his injuries and had begged the trooper to remove the dog.

Defense attorney Patrick O’Keefe said the trooper was following his training while waiting for other officers to arrive. He called it a "highly stressful, potentially lethal situation."

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"You can second-guess what I did, but I know what my dog did. He was protecting me," Surbrook testified.

Surbrook was acquitted of felonious assault Tuesday following a three-day trial in Ingham County, the Lansing State Journal reported.

Gilliam led police on a high-speed chase after Surbrook suspected a man with him outside a liquor store might be carrying a gun. Gilliam said he was on parole in another state and feared the consequences.

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The vehicle crashed as Gilliam tried to turn into an apartment complex, and he opened the door and fell to the ground. Surbrook and his dog then arrived.

"Stay on him!" the trooper repeatedly told Knox, according to video.

"Yes, he fled. Yes, he committed a felony," assistant prosecutor Kristen Rolph told the jury, referring to Gilliam. "That doesn’t mean that what happened to him was something he deserved."

A civil lawsuit against the state and Surbrook is pending in federal court.


 

Malaysia bans Swatch products containing LGBTQ+ elements, offenders will face up to 3 years in prison

Malaysia's government said Thursday that all Swatch products that contain lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer elements — including watches, wrappers and boxes — were banned, warning that anyone found with one could be jailed for up to three years.

The ban has been published in the Federal Gazette — which makes it official — as part of a printing law that includes distribution and possession, citing concerns that such products were detrimental to the nation's morality.

Malaysia, which is predominantly Muslim, already criminalizes same-sex relationships, with punishments ranging from caning under Islamic laws to 20 years in prison for sodomy under colonial-era civil laws.

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In May, authorities raided Swatch stores and confiscated more than 160 watches from its Pride Collection. Some of the watches have rainbow colors while others are in a choice of six single colors that correlate to the gay pride flag, with two rainbow loops on their straps.

Swatch contested allegations that the watches were harmful, saying they carried a message of peace and love. The Swiss watchmaking company has sued the government for damages and for the return of the watches.

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The Home Ministry statement said the products are "detrimental, or possibly detrimental, to morality, public interest and national interest by promoting, supporting and normalising the LGBTQ movement which is not accepted by the general public."

Anyone found in possession of such Swatch products face up to three years in jail or a fine of up to $4,375, it warned.

In July, the government cut short a music festival in Kuala Lumpur after the lead singer of British band The 1975 kissed a male bandmate during their performance in protest of the country's anti-gay laws. Footage of the kiss was posted on social media and sparked a backlash in the country. Malaysia also blacklisted the group from the country. The band later canceled its shows in Jakarta and Taipei.

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