Advertisement No charges appear forthcoming against Raiders player in K-9 incident at Heinz Field Sheriff's deputy says Ray-Ray Armstrong was barking, yelling at police dog on game day at Pittsburgh Steelers' stadium Share Shares Copy Link Copy

It does not appear that charges will be filed against Oakland Raiders linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong, who was investigated by the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office for allegedly taunting a police dog at Heinz Field.District Attorney Stephen Zappala's office said a meeting was held Thursday with Sheriff Bill Mullen to discuss "the appropriate way" to handle the Nov. 8 incident that caused K-9 Banditt, an explosives detection dog, to be taken out of service."The district attorney and the sheriff agree that this was not a malicious act but did create an unnecessary security risk. This office will communicate with authorities in California as to how we can address this matter," spokesman Mike Manko said via email.The incident was reported in a tunnel at the stadium, where sheriff's Deputy Maria Watts said Banditt was patrolling for explosives near Gate 5 at the Steelers-Raiders game. Watts has identified Armstrong as the player involved, but the DA's office has not publicly used his name."I've caught wind of this story. Going to put it in the silly category," Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said during a Nov. 12 interview on Sirius XM Radio. "I think once the facts come to light, I don't think there's going to be much of an issue so I wouldn't make too much of it."Watts told Pittsburgh's Action News 4 that Armstrong was aggressive and confrontational toward Banditt -- jumping, beating his chest, barking and yelling at the dog."I have never seen anything like this," Watts told Pittsburgh's Action News 4, describing how she had to hold back the trained police dog while Armstrong was yelling and egging the K-9 on.36551288Exclusive interview: Sheriff's deputy talks about incident with Raiders player and K-9 BandittVideo: Watch Marcie Cipriani's report"I could see him jumping around, screaming, barking -- hey dog, hey dog, send your dog, that kind of thing," Watts said. "This continued; there was more to this. Other players started to clap and bark and make agitation noises toward my dog."Taunting a police dog officer is a third-degree felony charge in Pennsylvania."I suppose it could be, in different circumstances. But in this particular case, I'm just going to say that I feel very confident that it won't be an issue," Del Rio said in his radio interview.Video from the stadium has been reviewed, and the Raiders have been notified of the investigation, the Sheriff's Office said.36365600"Once the officer was able to identify the player, there was no rush to arrest at that point. Obviously there was a football game going on," Chief Deputy Kevin Kraus said Nov. 10. "We wanted to make sure we got as much information as we could, properly reviewed it and made a sound judgment how we proceed."Armstrong's agent told Pittsburgh's Action News 4 that he had no comment about the situation. A spokesman for the Steelers said the team would not comment. A request for comment from the Oakland Raiders received no response.Banditt was provided to the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office, in part, through a grant by the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation, which also had no comment when asked about the incident.Watts said Banditt came from the Von Der Haus kennels of Ohio in 2012. A picture of Banditt can be found on the organization's website now.Follow updates from Pittsburgh's Action News 4 reporter Marcie Cipriani on Twitter @MCipriani_WTAE.14145984