The St. Paul City Council on Wednesday approved a $65,000 settlement with a man who was bitten in the face by a St. Paul police dog in May 2012.

Kongmeng Kue was hiding behind a garbage can when the dog bit him as police searched the 1000 block of York Avenue looking for a man who had reportedly dropped a gun and raced off.

Kue, 35, suffered "significant dog bites, scratches and other injuries, requiring medical treatment, which continues," his attorney stated in a letter to city officials.

The incident occurred after police were sent to the area on a report of a possibly drunk man throwing rocks. While searching for the suspect, another man who didn't match the suspect's description was spotted dropping a gun and running away.

As Officer Dominic Dzik and his police dog searched, they came to a house where they thought the man might be hiding. Dzik shouted a warning, according to his police report. A short time later, the dog spotted Kue, who was crouched behind a nearby garbage can, and bit him.

Dzik immediately pulled the dog off Kue, who didn't match the description of the man who had dropped the gun, his report said.

Asked why he hadn't come out of hiding after several warnings, Kue, who was taken to Regions Hospital to be treated for a cut on his cheek and punctures to the back of his neck, apologized, the report said.

Dzik also wrote that while at the hospital, he learned that Kue reportedly had a blood alcohol level of .185 and told police that he had been taking his wife's prescription medicine.

NICOLE NORFLEET