SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A former California police officer was convicted of unreasonably siccing his K-9 on a bicyclist and ordering the dog to bite the person, according to federal prosecutors, who said he then lied about the incident in a report.

While a K-9 handler with the Antioch Police Department, Morteza Amiri kept a “running bite count” to keep score of how many times his police dog named Purcy bit suspects, according to documents filed in Oakland federal court.

He called for Purcy to bite people “even when it was not necessary,” prosecutors said. According to his indictment, Purcy bit at least 28 people when Amiri deployed the dog in and near Antioch, located about a 45-mile drive northeast from San Francisco.

Amiri celebrated each bite with his fellow officers, according to prosecutors, and photographed the victims’ wounds.

He shared photos of the bites with other officers, including in one text in which he wrote “gory pics are for personal stuff” and “cleaned up pics for the case,” according to prosecutors.

On March 14, a federal jury found Amiri, 33, guilty of one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of falsification of records in a federal investigation in connection with the July 2019 encounter with the cyclist, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California said in a news release.

Amiri was found not guilty of a conspiracy against rights and not guilty of two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law in connection with two separate incidents in 2020, court records show.

Attorney Paul Goyette, who represents Amiri, told McClatchy News over the phone that Amiri is “very pleased with the outcome” in reference to the not guilty verdicts.

He said “only 4%” of Amiri’s “K-9 deployments resulted in a bite,” adding that the percentage was consistent with state and national standards.

Goyette called it “misleading” when the government noted Amiri regularly counted bites because he said “every officer keeps track of their bites ... and they have to for reporting purposes.”

Bicyclist is pulled over and bitten

On July 24, 2019, Amiri stopped a man riding his bike without his a light when it was dark in Antioch, at around 1:45 a.m. according to Amiri, the indictment says.

According to the government, Amiri repeatedly punched the cyclist and “took (him) to the ground, and then called for his K-9 to bite the victim.”

Purcy bit the man in his arm, according to the indictment, which shows a photo of the man bleeding from his wound.

Minutes later, the indictment says Amiri sent a photo of the incident to another officer, who responded by writing “haha,” the indictment says. Amiri then sent two more photos of the injuries within the hour, according to the filing.

A few hours later, Amiri sent a photo of the incident to an officer from another department, identified as “officer-3,” who asked “what cut the dogs face?,” the indictment says.

“That’s a piece of the suspect’s flesh lol,” Amiri responded, according to prosecutors.

Amiri was accused of falsifying a police incident report in which prosecutors said he wrote that he deployed his K-9 against the cyclist because Amiri was apprehending him by himself.

However, Amiri was joined by another officer from a neighboring police department “as a ride-along” when he pulled the cyclist over, prosecutors said. That officer helped him deploy his K-9, according to prosecutors.

In the text message conversation with “officer-3,” Amiri wrote that he “did not mention” in his report that he was with another officer during the encounter, the indictment shows.

Amiri stands by the incidents in which his K-9 bit a suspect, Goyette told McClatchy News.

“We assert every one of those bites is perfectly legitimate,” he said.

Goyette denied the government’s assertion that Amiri celebrated the bites.

He said that as part of the culture of the Antioch Police Department, officers communicate extensively via text messages and discuss suspects they’ve arrested.

“These are private communications among co-workers and friends that when exposed to the light of day, might not look as politically correct as, you know, today’s world might hope,” Goyette said.

“I wouldn’t call it celebration at all. I’d call it ... just sharing with his co-workers.”

Goyette said that at trial, other officers testified that the exchanging of texts and photos “are a form of a coping mechanism” or “gallows humor” that “you would see in many dangerous, stressful workplaces.”

The Antioch Police Department didn’t immediately return McClatchy News’ request for comment.

Sentencing set for June

Amiri is facing up to 10 years in prison on the count of deprivation of rights under color of law and up to 20 years in prison on the count of falsification of records, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“Morteza Amiri violated the oath he swore to protect the people of Antioch,” Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Robbins said in a statement. “He flouted his duty as a police officer, misused his police dog, and inflicted unnecessary and excessive force against the victim.”

His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 3, prosecutors said.

The civil rights charges against Amiri came out of an investigation in which multiple current and former police officers of the Antioch Police Department and the neighboring Pittsburg Police Department were charged with “various crimes ranging from the use of excessive force to fraud,” prosecutors said.

In a separate federal case, Amiri was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud in August 2024, according to prosecutors.

Attorneys representing Amiri in that case didn’t immediately return McClatchy News’ request for comment.

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