Lakeland Settles for $125K After Police K‑9 Allegedly Bites Unrelated Black Mother During Suspect Search

A Black family in Lakeland, Florida, was arrested in their apartment in March 2019 while officers searched for a suspect who had fled a traffic stop. The encounter escalated when a police K‑9 allegedly bit the mother, Kim Saddlers, causing serious injury and prompting a federal civil rights lawsuit that the city later settled.

What happened: According to court filings and local reporting, officers tracking a suspect — believed to be driving a stolen vehicle — followed him to an apartment complex and switched from a vehicle pursuit to a foot search. Officer Chad Landry announced the presence of the department's canine unit, saying, "Lakeland Police Department canine unit. If you can hear my voice, make your presence known or the canine unit will find and bite you," per the complaint.

Landry deployed his Belgian Malinois, Nox, to follow a scent. Officers encountered 19‑year‑old Iquan Isaac speaking with a neighbor and ordered those present to return to the apartment. In the rush back inside, Iquan allegedly knocked over a lamp and a table, waking his father, Lorenzo Isaac.

Lorenzo opened the apartment door and was ordered back inside. Officers say he disobeyed commands; body‑cam footage and reports indicate the encounter escalated and Officer Benjamin Blommel attempted to arrest Lorenzo for non‑violent obstruction. Lorenzo was reportedly tasered and taken into custody.

While carrying her three‑month‑old grandchild, Kim Saddlers tripped near the doorway and was bitten on the arm by K‑9 Nox. The bite is described in court records as roughly a 10‑inch wound that required about 30 stitches and later caused an allergic reaction. Plaintiffs allege officers did not immediately command the dog to release. Saddlers was later arrested on a charge of battery on a police officer; that charge was dismissed in 2021, according to Polk County records.

Iquan and his brother, Kevonte, attempted to intervene and were arrested on charges that included interfering with a police K‑9 and battery on a law enforcement officer. Prosecutors also alleged that Kevonte and Lorenzo struck the K‑9 while trying to protect Saddlers. Polk County records indicate the three men were convicted and received probation and short jail sentences.

Legal fallout: Saddlers filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in 2022 naming Officer Blommel, Officer Landry, and the City of Lakeland and alleging excessive force, negligence, and false arrest. In 2025, U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell dismissed Saddlers' excessive‑force claim against Blommel on the ground that he was not the K‑9 handler; her other claims remained in the case.

Six years after the incident, the City of Lakeland agreed to settle the remaining claims. On Sept. 28, 2025, the city paid Saddlers $125,000 to resolve all claims against the defendants. Attorney Palmer Davis summarized the settlement: "Ms. Saddlers was bitten at her apartment complex by a police K‑9 in March 2019 while officers were searching for a suspect in an unrelated crime. The settlement resolves all claims against each defendant."

Personnel outcomes and other details: Officer Landry was dismissed following a 2019 DUI. Officer Blommel resigned in 2021 and the K‑9, Nox, retired in late 2019; Nox died in 2025. Public records do not make clear whether the original suspect the officers were pursuing was ever apprehended after the incident.

Note: This account is based on court records, local reporting and public documents. Some criminal charges against members of the family were dismissed while others resulted in convictions and probation, and the civil suit was partially resolved through the settlement described above.