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Saskatoon Police Can't Be Sued Over Dog Attack, Rules Judge

She says the attack was an incident of racial profiling.

A Saskatoon woman won't be able to sue after a police dog attacked her on her own property, a judge ruled last week.

Sheila Tataquason was in her backyard with a friend in August 2013 when the incident occurred. Police had been investigating a gas station robbery in the area and misidentified Tataquason and her friend as the suspects.

Despite Tataquason and her friend being in their 40s, they were mistaken for suspects identified to be in their 20s.

Police took her to the hospital for stitches before arresting the pair. Neither were charged.

Sheila Tataquason was relaxing in her backyard when she was attacked by a police dog in 2013. (Photo: Facebook)

Tataquason filed a $20,000 lawsuit in small claims court for physical and emotional trauma.

The judge ruled that according to Section 10 of the Saskatchewan Police Act, the officers could not be found liable as they were acting in good faith. The claim was dismissed, Global News reported.

"Since the incident, she has suffered panic attacks, stress, and sleepless nights trying to get over what happened to her. She is now scared of dogs and is afraid to walk down the street alone," read court papers, according to CBC News.

She says the attack is an example of racial profiling.

“We believe her experience is part of the history of violence committed against indigenous people by the Saskatoon Police Service,” Kota Kimura, a member of a Saskatoon committee against police violence told the Saskatoon Star Phoenix at a rally to support Tataquason earlier this year.

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