A teen suing the city of Winnipeg says a police dog left her with permanent nerve and tissue damage during her arrest last year.

The woman was 17 years old when she was “attacked, arrested and detained” by Winnipeg police officers without a warrant in the early hours of June 4, 2025, according to the statement of claim filed at the Manitoba Court of King’s Bench last week.

Officers deployed a “vicious and dangerous” police dog — referred to as “beast” in the lawsuit — on the teen during her arrest, the suit alleges.

An officer told the teen that she was causing her own injuries because she was screaming as the dog attacked and bit her. She was handcuffed as the dog continued to bite her, the suit claims.

Use of the dog was unnecessary and amounted to excessive force and violence as the girl did not resist arrest or attempt to flee police, the suit says.

None of the allegations have been proven in court. A statement of defence has not yet been filed.

A city spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit while it’s before the courts.

No charges were laid against the teen when she was later released from police custody, the lawsuit says.

She needed numerous sutures to close the “deep and gaping wounds” that the dog left on her right leg, the suit says.

The attack left her with permanent nerve and tissue damage that has caused numbness and the loss of use of that leg, and plastic surgery was also required to lessen the teen’s scarring, the suit alleges.

The incident has also resulted in psychological trauma for the teen, who continues to suffer insomnia and nightmares, the suit says.

The teen’s arrest breached her constitutional right not to be arbitrarily detained, the lawsuit alleges.

She’s seeking general and aggravated damages, constitutional damages and punitive damages, according to the suit.