A coward gunned down a police Ok-9 throughout a routine visitors cease in California, earlier than additionally being shot useless when he opened hearth at officers following a hours-long standoff.
The unidentified shooter had been the passenger in a automobile that was stopped late Saturday on the I-5 in Burbank for illegally tinted home windows, the Los Angeles Occasions reported.
Whereas the driving force cooperated with officers, the passenger raced off, leaping off an embankment, sparking an enormous hunt involving a police helicopter.
A police Ok-9 officer, Spike, then discovered him hiding in bushes alongside the freeway — only for the suspect to fireplace “a number of rounds, placing the canine earlier than fleeing on foot,” police mentioned.
The suspect was finally cornered, with negotiators talking in Spanish and English throughout a three-and-a-half-hour standoff. It ended with him being shot and killed by police when he shot at two of their autos, police mentioned.
Though Spike was sporting a ballistic vest, “the vest doesn’t at all times prevent,” Lt. Derek Inexperienced informed reporters Sunday.
“With out a shadow of a doubt, K9 Spike lived as much as his pledge. K9 Spike made the last word sacrifice, placing his life on the road for his household,” the division mentioned of the 4-year-old Belgian Malinois.
“Your mission is full, hero. Relaxation in heaven, get pleasure from infinite treats and all of the bites your courageous coronary heart wishes.”
“This can be a robust one,” Inexperienced mentioned. “These are law enforcement officials. They’re canines, however they’re a part of the legislation enforcement household… skilled to do precisely what this canine officer did. These canines are skilled to have interaction suspects in probably the most harmful conditions.”
Spike had spent 21 months with the drive, the place he turned a well-liked fixture at neighborhood occasions.
“Thanks for the numerous smiles you dropped at the Burbank PD household together with your presence,” the division mentioned.
