Carnikava Dog Attack Case Still Under Investigation, Police Chief Says
State Police chief Armands Ruks said on TV24 that the criminal case over the September dog attack on kindergarten children in Carnikava, Latvia, is still being investigated. He gave no end date.
Armands Ruks, head of the Latvian State Police, said on the TV24 programme “Uz līnijas” that the criminal case over a dog attack on children from the “Riekstiņš” preschool in Carnikava, near Riga, is still at the investigation stage. The attack took place on 4 September this year and left six children and one teacher injured.
What the police chief said
A viewer asked how the case was progressing. Ruks replied that he had no information that the process had been completed. He stressed that there can be no leniency or any other circumstances that would prevent the investigation from reaching a fair outcome. According to him, the dogs' owner is cooperating with investigators, but this does not change what happened. Ruks did not name a date by which the investigation might end.
What happened on 4 September
As reported earlier, 19 kindergarten pupils were on a pre-arranged walk with a teacher and a teacher's assistant. Two unattended dogs approached the group from the end of Lašu Street. Six children were hurt, two of whom were hospitalised and later underwent surgery. One teacher, who tried to hold the animals back and protect the children, was also injured.
The State Police opened a criminal case under Chapter 20 of the Criminal Law, which covers offences against public safety and public order.
Role of the prosecutor's office and agencies
In September, Dainis Krasts, a prosecutor at the Pierīga prosecutor's office, said that prosecutors were supervising the case and that the investigation was following a plan, with the involvement of the municipal police and the Food and Veterinary Service (PVD). Particular attention is paid to the children's interests and psychological state, so that they are not repeatedly drawn into procedural steps.
Public outrage was caused by the fact that, after the initial police actions, the dogs were returned to their owner. Prosecutors later said the two animals were no longer with the owner, were isolated and posed no danger to the public. Their fate is to be decided based on the investigation and expert examinations.
The dogs had not been revaccinated against rabies on time. PVD inspectors and veterinarians observed them and took blood samples to determine antibody levels. Assessing the attack and determining possible liability is the State Police's responsibility.
