UF linebacker Antonio Morrison was arrested for the second time in five weeks early Sunday morning after police say he taunted a police dog.
Will Muschamp issued a statement Sunday afternoon via Twitter announcing that Morrison will be suspended from the team and blocked from playing at least two games at the beginning of the upcoming season.
“I am extremely disappointed in Antonio Morrison’s decision making,” Muschamp wrote.
Morrison was released Sunday at 1:01 p.m., said Alachua County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Art Forgey.
According to an Alachua County Sheriff’s Office report, Deputy William Arnold was investigating a suspicious vehicle at Scottish Inns motel, 4341 SW 13th St., at about 3 a.m., when a group of men walked along the road past the parked patrol car.
Morrison, a 19-year-old UF sophomore, was one of them.
As the patrol car’s emergency lights flashed, Morrison walked up to the open window and made barking noises at K-9 Bear, according to the report.
Bear responded by barking, which diverted the dog’s attention away from Arnold and the investigation, according to the report.
When Arnold asked Morrison to stand in front of the patrol car and tried to handcuff him, Morrison struggled.
Two other officers arrived and helped complete the arrest, according to the report.
A video from the patrol car’s dashboard camera showed Morrison being handcuffed by officers. At one point, an officer is heard telling Morrison, “My dog is watching my back and their back. When you walk up to the window and say something to him, you distract him if I need him ... You can continue to sit here with your crocodile tears and ask me for favors and do whatever. I’m telling you, you’re going to jail for interfering with my dog. That’s it.”
Morrison, who was previously arrested June 16 for punching a bouncer at Kava Bar and Hookah Lounge, was taken to the Alachua County Jail and booked on charges of harassing a police dog and resisting arrest.
Forgey said most people don’t know about the law, and it’s an uncommon arrest charge.
“It’s very obscure,” he said. “We don’t see this very often.
Contact Adam Lichetnstein at alichtenstein@alligator.org. Contact Kelcee Griffis at kgriffis@alligator.org.
