30-03-2025
Tosa police follow up on security K-9 bite at Mayfair Mall; initially responded to fight
The Wauwatosa Police Department has reviewed social media videos showing a security K-9 biting a woman at Mayfair Mall after initially responding to a fight at the shopping center Friday night.
Wauwatosa police responded to the mall around 6:17 p.m. Friday night for reports of a fight. When officers arrived, security employees said the fight had ended and all involved had left the mall.
Mall security did not request any police enforcement for disorderly behavior, Wauwatosa police said, and there was no mention of a dog bite at that time.
Police later reviewed social media videos of the incident. One video posted to Facebook shows a security K-9 biting a woman's ankle and its handler trying to pull the dog away. Several additional security officers arrive later to try to release the dog's bite.
It is not clear from the video what time the incident took place, or if the K-9 bite happened during or after the fight. The woman reported the incident to police just after noon on Saturday.
"We followed up regarding the incident to include the dog bite and the events leading up to and following it," a Wauwatosa police spokesman said in an email to the Journal Sentinel.
Police reports have not yet been completed and may reveal additional details.
Brookfield Properties, the owner of Mayfair Mall, has not yet responded to questions from the Journal Sentinel about the incident and details of the mall's K-9 unit. Mayfair's FAQ page does not include details on security policies.
Mayfair Mall started using K-9s after a 2020 shooting at the mall that injured eight and was the result of an altercation between two groups of people.
It is not clear if the dog involved in the weekend incident was part of the Vapor Wake Public Safety Canine Detection Program to detect firearms and patrol the mall.
Mayfair Mall has seen several fights in recent years, including one in 2020 involving 35 people being pepper sprayed and tackled by police and security.
The mall has a policy requiring visitors 17 years old or younger to be accompanied by a parent or adult from 3 p.m. to close on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Sophie Carson contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tosa police follow up after security K-9 bit a woman at Mayfair Mall
