Everyone knows that ”man bites dog” is a far better headline than ”dog bites man”. Which is why residents of Berlin – a city of passionate dog-lovers – are paying close attention to the trial of a 25-year-old homeless man, identified only as Koppany Zoltan K.
He is in court for allegedly aggressive behaviour towards police just after 11pm on June 7th, 2022, when they ordered him to move on from Hardenbergplatz, an area outside western Berlin’s Zoo Station.
Instead of moving on, the heavily intoxicated man approached the police officers and their police dog, a Belgian shepherd reportedly called Pepe. “He came ever closer with his hands out,” testified one woman police officer in court.
When the man tried to stroke Pepe, ignoring police warnings to leave the dog alone, two officers grabbed him by his arms and ordered him to leave Hardenbergplatz.
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Instead of leaving, police say the man came at them with his fists raised, prompting the dog – wearing a muzzle – to jump up on him.
For Koppany Zoltan K the dog was not an issue; he loved animals, he told the court.
“The dog laid its paws on my shoulders, no problem,” he said. “But then a police officer raised his arm. I struck a boxer pose and hit him, in self-defence.”
The police tell a different story of what happened after they decided to bring him in.
“During the transport, he spat in the direction of the police officers,” said Berlin court spokeswoman Lisa Jani, “and tried to bite them in the hand during subsequent police measures.” The defendant denied this claim, telling the court: “Why should I bite a police officer? I wanted to hit him.”
As well as the altercation with the police and Pepe, Koppany Zoltan K faces charges relating to a separate incident last September in a Berlin supermarket.
The Hungarian man was reportedly caught in the act as he tried to steal bottles of sparkling white wine. When challenged, he smashed a bottle of wine on the head of the supermarket employee, it is alleged.
After one day in court, however, news that some witnesses had yet to be located meant the trial, for both the police altercation and supermarket incidents, was halted and will be restarted in October.
While they say every dog has its day; in Berlin every dog-lover has his day in court.
