A man who led officers on a pursuit from Oklahoma City to near Goldsby stabbed the police dog and was shot and killed by the dog’s handler.
About 8:45 p.m., police were called to a business burglary at 7233 S Air Depot Blvd. Officers saw a man drive away and pursued. Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers led the pursuit when the driver was speeding southbound on Interstate 35 in Norman, Oklahoma City police Capt. Dexter Nelson said.
Troopers used tactics to end the pursuit near the Goldsby exit on I-35, where the vehicle hit a ditch west of the highway, Nelson said.
Oklahoma City K9 officers and gang unit officers stayed back with troopers until the driver got out of the vehicle and started running south near the service road. A K9 handler let the police dog chase the driver, and the K9 apprehended the driver as he ran behind a business, police said.
The K9 officer made his way to the man’s location to pull the dog off of the man, at which point he saw the driver had a knife and was stabbing the police dog, Nelson said. The officer was in close proximity to the driver at the time, Nelson said. The officer fatally shot the man, and the police dog was taken to a veterinarian for emergency surgery.
The police dog is a 3-year-old German Shepard from Belgium that has been with the police department for about two years.
From a legal standpoint, a K9 is considered a tool that an officer uses, Nelson said. However, police officers view them as partners, he said.
A police officer could not shoot a person solely for attacking a K9 officer, but officers are trained that they can use lethal force when they are within 21 to 25 feet of a person with a knife if the situation warrants, Nelson said.
The K9 handler was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal and administrative investigations by police.
Police also are investigating to determine whether the man who was shot Sunday is the same person who was involved in a pursuit about an hour earlier Sunday night near Bricktown.
Sunday’s shooting was the seventh officer-involved shooting this year, police said.
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