Video captured the moments after Los Angeles police shot and killed a dog that was wearing a New York Knicks jersey as officers responded to calls of a woman screaming — screams that turned out to be a celebration of the Knicks’ victory the NBA championship.
Shortly after the Knicks won the NBA Finals on Saturday, Los Angeles police shot the dog while responding to an unrelated incident, the LAPD said in a news release Tuesday.
The LAPD said it was responding to a radio call about a “screaming woman” in Canoga Park, a Los Angeles neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley.
When the person who reported the screaming directed officers to an apartment, a resident opened the door for responding officers, the LAPD said. Next to her was what the LAPD described as a “large dog” barking at officers.
“The officers asked her to secure the dog and the resident closed her door momentarily. She opened the door again and the dog came out of the apartment,” the statement said. “Once outside the apartment, the dog charged one of the officers, resulting in an officer-involved shooting (OIS).”
The Los Angeles Department of Animal Services was notified, responded to the scene and took custody of the deceased dog, the LAPD said. The puppy’s owner was on scene and cooperated with the investigation, according to the release.
The dog’s name was Jameson, the owner’s girlfriend told NBC News on Tuesday.
Jameson is wearing a New York Knicks shirt.Kelly Marcella TeckA video which has been viewed more than 15 million times on TikTok shows a woman on the ground, lying on top of the deceased dog, wearing a blue and orange t-shirt.
“The Knicks just won the championship,” she laments. “We were so happy. We were celebrating the Knicks.”
About half a dozen police officers are seen in the video standing next to the grieving woman.
“It’s absolutely crazy,” the woman said. “We didn’t do anything.”
People off camera can be heard yelling at the police.
“It’s really pathetic when there are drug dealers, people stabbing each other outside,” someone shouts off camera.
The LAPD later told NBC Los AngelesIt’s because the woman was screaming because she was celebrating the Knicks victory.
The Knicks won against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Saturday, giving New York its first NBA championship in 53 years.
