A Lubbock family filed a petition to force the city to provide answers from last year’s police K-9 attack in the 5700 block of 108th Street. It’s not a lawsuit but could set the stage for one.

Iang “Roy” Huang and Huanhuan “Joy” Wang said the police dog attacked them while out for a walk with their children.

“The dog was [a] City of Lubbock Police Department K9 unit. The dog escaped [the officer’s] backyard and attacked the [family]. The attack occurred without warning and resulted in severe physical injuries to both [Huang and Wang], while their minor children were present and witnessed the incident,” the petition said.

A Lubbock Police Department (LPD) press release at the time said, “One of our K-9s … escaped from its handler’s backyard and was later involved in a dog attack that injured two citizens in South Lubbock.”

A neighbor saw the attack and then “shot and killed the K-9,” the LPD statement said.

Police reported at the time two people were taken to University Medical Center with a combination of severe and moderate injuries.

The filing from Huang and Wang claimed the injuries suffered that day have affected their ability to work and to parent their children. They also say witnessing the attack caused symptoms related to trauma exposure in their children.

Previous coverage: Police report describes K-9 attacking Lubbock family before dog shot and killed

Police declined to comment Monday for LubbockLights.com – referring us to city officials.

Lacey Rose, city spokesperson, quoted the City Attorney’s Office as saying, “While the City of Lubbock is aware of the Huang 202 petition, we do not publicly comment on active litigation.”

LubbockLights.com also reached out to the family in May 2025 by phone. Huang and Wang declined to comment on advice of their attorney.

Animal Services report

LubbockLights.com requested public records in April of 2025. The following portion of text is from the original Lubbock Animal Services report and lightly edited.

LPD Officers and EMS were on scene having already loaded and begun transport on the husband, Iang Wang. I spoke with the wife on scene, Huanhuan Wang, who told me they had a 7-year-old daughter and an infant daughter with them. They [the children] had been taken by someone close by after the attack but had not sustained any injuries.

The dog was spotted by her and her husband while on a walk through the neighborhood. Moments after they noticed the brown and black Belgian Malinois. It came sprinting towards the wife and children, which is when the husband took action and attempted to grab the dog away from his wife and that is when the animal turned on him and began to bite and scratch him. The wife was knocked to the ground hitting her head causing her to black out for a moment. She was left with a large lump on the top right of her head.

The victim said the animal knocked him down several times during the attack as him and his family pleaded for help. She stated that two of the neighbors had heard the commotion and came outside.

Once they realized what was going on one attempted to lure the dog away by throwing food for the animal, but it was unfazed by this, so the other neighbor returned in his house and secured a weapon, returning and shooting, thus killing the suspect animal.

Huang and Wang filed a “Rule 202 Petition” in State District Court on March 5. If granted, this rule (under the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure) would force testimony and documentation even before a lawsuit is filed.

The idea behind this rule is to investigate a claim to see if it’s valid before a lawsuit gets filed. The family’s petition indicated an intent to sue regardless but to make sure the lawsuit is focused.

“This information will enable [Huang and Wang] to specifically tailor claims against those responsible parties rather than making broad sweeping allegations … ,” the petition claimed.

The petition also seeks confirmation of the K-9 officer’s name and rank (even though an officer’s name was listed in the petition), details of the dog’s escape from the officer’s backyard and the LPD K-9 policies.

LubbockLights.com made an open records request from the city last year to get a copy of the K-9 policy. Click here to read it.

The following are quotes from Lubbock Police Department Canine Unit Procedure and Operation Policy:

“K-9 handlers are responsible for the safety of all persons which come in contact with the K-9 both on and off duty.”

“K-9 shall be housed in department-issued kennel while off duty. When a Severe Weather Alert (extreme cold, heat, dangerous weather) the K-9 may be housed in a department issued travel crate, inside the handlers home or out building.”

“The K-9 supervisor shall conduct periodic inspections of the K9’s kennel area for cleanliness and safety concerns.”

According to the Rule 202 Petition, the statute of limitations for the “likely causes of action” runs out on April 28. State District Judge John Grace ordered a hearing on the petition for May 12, which is after the statute of limitations.

However, Huang and Wang can file a lawsuit even without the petition.

Related

Related posts