Spokane council approves additional funding to fight use-of-force lawsuit

April 14, 2026 Updated Tue., April 14, 2026 at 6:58 p.m.

By Emry Dinman emryd@spokesman.com (509) 459-5472

The Spokane City Council on Monday approved another $75,000 for the city to defend against a lawsuit brought by a man who claims he suffered injuries from a K9 used by Spokane police in 2022 while he was incapacitated after threatening suicide.

This brings the total legal defense costs to $175,000 to defend against the suit brought by Andrei Johnson. Johnson claims he had held a shard of glass to his own neck and was hit with stun guns and foam rounds after a failed de-escalation attempt by Spokane police.

Johnson alleges that Officer Todd Belitz then deployed a K9 while Johnson was prone and incapacitated and that the dog caused “catastrophic injuries to his face and head” while officers stood and watched.

Johnson filed suit in 2025, naming the city police department, Belitz, then-Chief Craig Meidl and Sgt. Nate Spiering as defendants. The lawsuit is scheduled for a trial on Feb. 8, 2027.

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