An Akron man who was attacked by a police dog on Monday was released Wednesday evening from jail after posting bond.
Dannie Oliver, 36, had been arrested on a charge of obstructing official business following the dog attack and was charged later with receiving stolen property after a search warrant uncovered a stolen firearm among his possessions.
He posted $585 in bail to be released, according to court records.
Oliver did not return requests for comment, but on Facebook thanked his friends and family for their support.
“Yo, I would like to thank everyone that showed any type of real concern in my situation with recent Ohio state troopers,” he said. “And to everyone who had something negative to say, y’all know what y’all can do, I ain’t hard to find. ...”
Critics describe the dog attack as a case of police using unnecessary force on minorities. Oliver is black.
Oliver broadcast the attack live on Facebook, and a Highway Patrol cruiser recorded the attack via a dashboard camera. As of Thursday afternoon, Oliver’s video had been viewed more than 27,000 times since Monday and sparked #AkronStandsTogether, an online campaign to convince the city and state to address the incident publicly.
Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan on Wednesday released a statement about the dog attack. He urged critics to trust in law enforcement and said he was eagerly awaiting the results of a Highway Patrol investigation into the incident.
The Highway Patrol has not commented on the case since releasing the video on Tuesday. Lt. Robert Sellers has not returned repeated requests for the names of the two troopers involved.
As shown in the two videos, a trooper released a police dog on Oliver, who did not have a visible weapon, while arresting his cousin, Samuel Tolbert.
Troopers accuse Tolbert of leading them on a one-block pursuit through a residential West Akron neighborhood. They intended to cite him for driving without license plates. Tolbert, 31, said he didn’t know the troopers’ sirens were directed at him until he turned on to Oliver’s road a block away.
While troopers arrested Tolbert in Oliver’s driveway, Oliver took to Facebook Live. A verbal altercation broke out when Oliver tried to retrieve Tolbert’s ID card from the vehicle. Troopers told him to back away from the vehicle, and Oliver obeyed while continuing to argue with the trooper.
That’s when the other trooper released the police dog. The dog could be seen vaguely in the dark video, digging its teeth into Oliver’s leg while he screamed in pain.
According to reports, Oliver was treated for his injuries and charged with obstructing official business. He said in a Facebook post on Thursday that his leg was “f***** up” after the dog attack.
Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ and on Facebook @JournoNickGlunt .