An Orange County police dog got in some extra duty far afield from his usual turf, jumping into action — and enduring a few punches — to help nab a fleeing suspect while en route to a training session in Riverside.
The German shepherd K9 known as Perro (or dog, in Spanish), along with Fountain Valley police Officer Bill Hughes, were headed to the monthly event Monday, March 12, when they stopped at a red light at the Van Buren Boulevard exit off the 91 Freeway. That’s when Hughes saw a man running from a Riverside police officer in a nearby field.
Hughes turned on his sirens and headed over to assist the officer, and then noticed a second Riverside officer approaching to help the foot chase, according to Fountain Valley police Sgt. Kham Vang.
“If an officer needs an assistant in an emergency situation such as this, usually agencies will always assist,” he said.
Hughes stopped his vehicle, he and Perro hopped out, then over a small fence, to help the Riverside officers. By then, the suspect was on the ground but not complying, according to Vang.
“At one point, he had one cuff only but his hand was free,” Vang said. “Due to the fact he was resisting, Perro was used to control the suspect but the man kept resisting.”
At some point, Vang said the struggling man punched and tried to choke Perro. But the dog managed to get free and the man was detained and arrested.
The man’s name was not immediately available, but a post on Fountain Valley police’s Facebook page indicates he was arrested on “several felony charges.”
Perro was checked out by a veterinarian and except for a small injury near his eye, wasn’t seriously hurt, Vang said. He’s “A-OK!,” the department said.