Brentwood, CA – Local Bay Area media outlets KRON and KTVU began reporting on a civil lawsuit filed against one of our members, Officer Ryan Rezentes. National media outlets have also begun reporting on the story. As has become commonplace in recent years, those media outlets abdicated their responsibility to inform the public on the facts of an incident, and instead have chosen to demonize the police and fan the flames of racial discord.
Contrary to what was reported by the media, this was not just “a shoplifting incident” and the use of a police K9 had nothing to do with the race of the suspects.
The lawsuit stems from a crime which was committed on February 10, 2020. The plaintiff, Talmika Bates, who was 24 years old at the time, along with two of her associates reportedly stole over $10,000 worth of merchandise from a store and then fled in a vehicle. As another Brentwood PD officer was responding to the reported crime, he observed the suspect vehicle at a nearby major intersection and it appeared the vehicle was attempting to cross the busy intersection against the red light. That officer positioned his police car in front of the suspect vehicle so that he could protect the other motorists and prevent any further flight. Instead of stopping, the suspect vehicle rammed the front end of the police car in order to escape, and then fled at high speeds. The suspects’ actions not only endangered the police officer who was rammed, but also endangered numerous other citizens on the roadway.
Bates and her associates continued fleeing in their vehicle until they collided with a curb and disabled their vehicle, at which time all of the suspects, including Bates, fled the vehicle on foot. Numerous officers, including Officer Rezentes with K9 Marco, along with a police helicopter, responded to the scene to assist with a search for the suspects. One of the areas being searched was a field with large swaths of nearly impenetrable shrubbery and trees. These types of areas are especially dangerous for police officers to search, due to the fact that potentially armed suspects can easily conceal themselves inside the overgrown vegetation, and officers may not see the suspect until they are right upon them. This is one of numerous scenarios where utilizing a police dog helps keep our officers safe.
After nearly an hour of searching, during which time even the helicopter was unable to find the suspects, Officer Rezentes ordered K9 Marco to search the large patch of overgrown vegetation and the dog located Bates inside. Police dogs are trained to bite the first part of the suspect’s body they come in contact with, which in Bates’ case was the top of her head. When it became apparent that K9 Marco had located one of the suspects concealed in the vegetation, Officer Rezentes and the other officers ordered Bates to come out. This is standard safe practice, because the officers were still unable to see Bates and they could not determine if she was armed. Once Bates was taken into custody, she was immediately provided with medical aid for her injuries.
The Brentwood Police Officers’ Association believes it is important that the public have this context regarding Officer Rezentes’ actions and the use of K9 Marco. All of the details we have provided here, and many more, were available within public records. It appears these media outlets chose to not seek out this information, and they attempt to defend their actions by stating they sought comment from the City of Brentwood and the Brentwood Police Department, knowing full well that neither of those entities are going to provide comment on an incident that has pending litigation. The media is well-versed in making public records requests, and know they could have obtained the court records from Bates’ criminal case. Since these specific media outlets did not do so, we can only conclude that is because they had no desire to provide the context which we have provided here, and that they would rather attempt to sow division between the police and the community.
The Brentwood Police Officers’ Association will not make any further comment regarding the specifics of this incident. We are grateful for the support of our community as our officers do their best to protect everyone’s safety.
Editors Note:
- KTVU Story: https://www.ktvu.com/news/video-brentwood-police-dog-rips-off-young-womans-scalp
- KRON 4 Story: https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/woman-mauled-by-k9-files-lawsuit-claiming-excessive-force-in-brentwood/
Here is our original story from the incident on Feb 10, 2020. Click here
21 comments
Good dog! Bad ghetto ratf this thief!! Glad she got caught.
Thank you officers.
Back the Blue
100%!!!
Good job team great true reporting always tells a different and real perspective.
Play stupid games…..win stupid prizes….etc etc etc.
Agreed, feel sorry for her injuries but she definitely out herself in that predicament. Bet she won’t steal again, she never said that. . Now granted she’s traumatized by the incident but I bet these thieves don’t think about the employees being traumatized when they constantly come in there stealing 🙄 people are crazy. If you know you’re doing something wrong expect extreme consequences even if they don’t occur maybe that will deter you 🤦🏾♀️
Great work BPD! The media thrives on giving one side, tainted, incomplete stories as was done here. Great to see you guys doing a fantastic job protecting the people in the community!
Feel bad for our officers having to deal with this trash every day
They get paid very well to do this
Interesting you refer to Brentwood as a “ghetto”.
As my child grows into an adult I have been explaining to her the media does not report the truth, they report what will give them ratings. This is another example of poor reporting. If the media stopped “fanning the flames” as one reader stated there would be less violence towards our police and other first responders. Congratulations to Brentwood PD.
Not at all shock that her attorney is Adante, a John Burris disciple. He is a “true believer” and a royal POS.
Here’s a thought, young lady: Don’t commit multiple felonies, and run and hide from the police and a police dog.
Great job, PD!
Brentwood police are very racist I’ve dealt with it personally. I hadn’t lived there 30 days and was stop for walking to a hair salon because I didn’t have a car. Went to jail on a 1$150 bond. They regularly harassed my husband and my son. No longer live there. Any time something happens the whole fucking force comes out. It’s ridiculous!!
Wow, the Brentwood PD REALLY does not get it. You are the manipulators- you left out the key detail that the officer LIED and said he didn’t have backup when he DID, and the backup police officer can be heard on the recording saying that he wasn’t going to kill Marco the dog, even though he was out of control and his handler could not get him to release multiple times.
Seeing the photos in the complaint and this is BAR NONE the worst case of police brutality I have EVER seen.
They also did not give the woman a chance to surrender before siccing the dog on her- a dog they could not control. The backup police officer also thought that preserving the dog’s life trumped this woman’s. Her skull was ripped off and her brains can be seen.
It is also disturbing that commenters here as well as the on the Daily Mail article which got the facts right, think she deserved this punishment or that this was appropriate. So I am going to quote them directly:
inannaishtar, Earth, United States, 6 hours ago
Getting mauled almost to death and being permanently disfigured is not the punishment for shoplifting in America. I would bet money that at the apartments or buildings where she ran to hide is full of pedofiles and sex traffickers and drug dealers but this is what the police are doing. No wonder our entire society has fallen apart. Every person who gave you an up vote will definitely have to answer for that come judgement day! The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10551717/California-woman-26-files-lawsuit-against-police-K-9-ripped-scalp-two-years-ago.html
THEN, to add insult to injury, the Brentwood PD has a picture of the officer and Marco and invites the public to say hello to Marco, says he is well-behaved etc.
People need to read the complaint and see the photos.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10551717/California-woman-26-files-lawsuit-against-police-K-9-ripped-scalp-two-years-ago.html?
Not given a chance to surrender? Sure did, they didn’t have to hit the police car at the streets of Brentwood. Nor did they have to knock down staff at the store. When they had police all in the area of the field, come out with your hands up. I dunno, some would see that as three chances before a K9 is released.
Exactly! Come on..they stole $1k+ worth of murchandise and hit a police car. What did the robbers think would happen?
Good Job Brentwood PD! Once again the media tells half truths to get ratings and start controversy to make good people (police) look bad. The media can distort facts because they know there will consequences. Stay safe officers. I GOT YOUR SIX!
There’s consequences for every action good or bad. It’s about time people are made to take responsibility for poor decision. Thank you BPD In attempting to keep us a safe community
Very disappointed when news whether it be TV, in print or the Internet is one-sided and doesn’t inform the public of the whole story.
Somehow, I don’t believe these Brentwood cops. I have a very bad encounter with them several years ago. They will lie in court and under oath . I requested to have the video released and they refused to produce it. I don’t believe the victim either. So will wait for the outcome . Police always have cameras with them . Where is the footage ?
This was a stupid attempt to cover your ass. You can’t criticize the media for leaving parts out, especially if you do exactly the same. They’ve already revealed that your officer lied on his report, his dog doesn’t listen, and he made disgusting comments. I wonder what else will be revealed, and how much money that’s going to cost.
Brentwood PD did everything right. Talmika Bates had multiple chances to surrender. 1) could not have fled from the scene and given herself up at the start, 2) could have stopped when a Police vehicle attempted to block their vehicle and not have crashed into a police car, 3) could have come out of the bushes at any time before a K9 unit was called in. There are consequences to actions which she has now learned. I’d remind criminals it is the Police’s duty to apprehend you, even though these days it is more catch and release. This lawsuit is baseless.
She will get paid and deservedly so, as the Brentwood police cover angle is the fall back of the news agencies reporting but if it was not for the news reporting the bullshit most egregious cult of professional liars as police officers, they would be freely still lying, falsely filing reports, covering each other’s miss deeds without consequences, as they have for centuries. She was wrong for stealing but the consistency of the arrest is the matter, how many non minorities are arrested this way with a dog sent in the bushes to maul them, and for the dumb rednecks who can’t understand, or are too dumb to know they are dumb, consistency of arrest is the main point again. She will not have to shop lift anymore, Merry Christmas for her via the soon to be settlement from the Brentwood police department.
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