‘He hit me like a truck!’ Ohio mayor breaks five ribs after he is taken down by an aggressive police K9 during a recorded demonstration
- Mansfield mayor Tim Theaker agreed to be part of a police demonstration while showing off a new training center last Thursday
- The mayor gloved up to take a hit from a police K9 named Merkel, but wasn’t anticipating the dog to attack with such force
- Multiple news cameras caught Theaker falling backwards onto concrete after the dog lunged at him
- The mayor sustained five broken bones during the incident, but was back to work by Monday
- The Republican is currently campaigning for a third term as Mansfield mayor, with the elections due to be held on November 5
An Ohio mayor has broken five ribs after a recorded demonstration with a police K9 went terribly wrong.
Mansfield mayor, Tim Theaker, 66, was showing off a new training center in the city last Thursday when he agreed to take agreed to a hit from a police dog named Merkel.
In front of rolling film news cameras, the politician gloved up as he waited for Merkel to approach.
However, the canine used considerable force to attack, bounding frantically towards Theaker and latching aggressively onto the glove.
The mayor went tumbling backwards, falling down onto a concrete pathway, which led him to sustain the painful injuries.
Frantic cops who were watching the demonstration quickly ran towards the mayor as the pup continued to pull on the glove.
The incident was captured from various angles by multiple news cameras, and the footage was later aired on FOX8 Cleveland.
Theaker later went to hospital where scans revealed his five broken ribs.
However, the hard-working mayor was back in his office by Monday, where he gave an interview with the local news network.
‘It was panic,’ Theaker reminisced.
‘It was panic because he hit me, I mean he hit me like a mack truck and just knocked me back and knocked me down and as soon as that happened I felt the ribs or something give and it was I was panicking to get back up’.
Mansfield mayor, Tim Theaker, 66, was showing off a new training center in the city last Thursday when a demonstration with a police K9 went horribly wrong
The incident was captured from various angles by multiple news cameras, and the footage was later aired on FOX8 Cleveland
The politician went on to reveal that he immediately had trouble breathing.
‘When I fell I couldn’t get my breath I was trying hard to breathe and I just couldn’t breathe and I thought I felt something give,’ he told the station.
It will take eight more weeks for Theaker’s ribs to heal, but the mayor doesn’t have time to sit around.
Theaker is currently campaigning to serve a third term as Mansfield mayor in the upcoming elections to be held on November 5.
The Republican was first elected to the office in 2011, before being reelected in 2015.
Theaker is currently campaigning to serve a third term as Mansfield mayor in the upcoming elections to be held on November 5