Four teenagers are set to appear in court following an assault involving a man and a dog in Bangor, Co Down on Friday.
Ryan Gray, founder of K9 Search and Rescue, and his trained dog Max were attacked by a group of युवाओं on High Street, reports RTE.
Mr Gray and Max had previously been part of a rescue mission sent to Adana, Turkey in 2023 to help search for survivors after an earthquake.
A 13-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy have both been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, affray, and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal, reports RTE.
Another boy, aged 15, faces charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and affray.
A 16-year-old girl has been charged with affray and common assault, reports RTE.
In a statement, the PSNI thanked members of the public for assisting with the investigation.
“The investigation is ongoing and further arrests will be made when the other suspects are identified,” it added, reports RTE.
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The incident followed a report received by detectives at around 7.50pm on Friday of a fight involving several youths and a man.
When officers arrived, they observed a number of young people fleeing the scene, most dressed in dark clothing, reports RTE.
A spokesperson said: “It was reported that, following a verbal exchange with approximately 15 to 20 young people as he was walking up the street, the man was punched to the face multiple times by a number of the youths.
“His dog was also kicked a number of times.”, reports RTE.
K9 Search and Rescue NI confirmed yesterday that the pair “were viciously assaulted in Bangor last night whilst off duty and socialising”.
“Our member has received treatment at A&E, and the dog has been assessed by a vet,” it said in a Facebook post, reports RTE.
Alex Easton said he was “absolutely appalled at the vicious and cowardly attack on K9 Search & Rescue NI founder Ryan Gray and his dog Max in Bangor on Friday evening”.
Mr Easton said Mr Gray “gives his time selflessly to help others through search and rescue work, often in the most challenging of circumstances”, reports RTE.
“For him to be subjected to such a brutal assault, alongside his trained dog, is both shocking and deeply disturbing,” he said, reports RTE.
“The fact that Max, a trained search and rescue dog, was also kicked and injured makes this incident all the more sickening,” the MP added, reports RTE.
He wished Mr Gray and Max a speedy recovery, reports RTE.
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