Drug smuggler sues U.S. after being mauled by Border Patrol dog

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last updated 8 January 2015

Jose Manuel Marino-Najera was mauled by a Border Patrol dog while smuggling marijuana over the U.S.-Mexico border. And he's suing the U.S. over the dog bite he received.

Marino, 31, had joined a group of drug smugglers crossing the border so that he could reach his uncle in New York. After crossing into Arizona with the other smugglers, Marino fell asleep under a tree — and allegedly woke up when the dog began mauling his arm.

Marino filed a claim against the U.S. in federal court, saying that when Border Patrol agents stopped another member of his group, the unleashed dog ran to the sleeping Marino. According to the claim, the agents "ignored his cries for help," The Daily Beast reports. Marino's attorney told The Daily Beast that even though Marino isn't a U.S. citizen, he can sue the country since he was in the U.S. at the time of the event.