A Memphis woman says her 9-month-old Schnauzer was injured during an arrest carried out by the U.S. Marshals Service.
Emma Hollingsworth alleges the incident happened on Wednesday, Feb. 4, while federal agents were arresting her boyfriend, Jaquize Henderson, local outlets Fox13 Memphis and WMC-TV reported. According to those outlets, Henderson was wanted on a warrant tied to a commercial burglary case in north Mississippi.
Hollingsworth recorded video of the arrest on her phone, and a nearby exterior camera also captured footage. The clips, obtained by WMC-TV, appear to show multiple U.S. Marshal agents at the scene, with one agent kicking Hollingsworth’s dog, Yoshi, as officers worked to take Henderson into custody.
“My dog came out running. He was like, ‘What’s going on?’ And so the U.S. Marshal kicked him very hard, forcefully, for no reason,” Hollingsworth told Fox13 Memphis.
Footage from the camera outside the apartment shows Yoshi barking at a leashed K-9 unit standing near an agent. Another agent appears to motion for the dog to move away as Yoshi runs around barking. Moments later, a third agent can be seen kicking the dog.
Hollingsworth told WMC-TV she was “very mad” and “very angry” after watching what happened.
“You’re not supposed to do that to my dog,” she told the outlet. “[Yoshi] didn’t even do anything — why would you forcefully kick him like that?”
She also told Fox13 Memphis that she took Yoshi to a veterinarian and was informed the dog had a broken rib and would need medication.
In a statement provided to Fox13 Memphis and WMC-TV, the U.S. Marshals Service said the dog “got loose and tried repeatedly and aggressively to attack the working K9.” The agency said the dog’s owner was instructed to restrain the animal but “did not do so.”
The agency also addressed video of the encounter circulating online, saying that while “the appearance of the incident is unfortunate,” the deputy marshal’s actions “was not done with malice.” The statement described it as a “last-resort, split-second action” aimed at controlling the scene and reducing risk.
“An uncontrolled, aggressive animal can hinder official duties and threaten safety,” the agency said, adding a reminder for dog owners to keep pets leashed at all times.
