Suspect stabs K-9 before Fresno Police officers open fire. Here’s the latest
A wanted man stabbed a law-enforcement dog before Fresno Police officers shot the suspect Sunday evening just outside city limits, authorities said.
The suspect may have been involved in a standoff with police Saturday night.
According to Fresno Sheriff’s Lt. Brandon Pursell, police officers were in the area of American and Maple avenues just before 5 p.m. Sunday to pick up a suspect wanted for multiple felonies, including acts of violence and weapon charges.
Pursell said that during the pickup an altercation occurred between the suspect and the officers.
Fresno County Sheriff’s deputies were called to help with the pickup.
The suspect fled the area and was later encountered by a Sheriff’s K-9. The suspect stabbed the K-9 multiple times with a knife. Moments later the suspect was shot by Fresno Police officers.
The K-9 was rushed to surgery and is expected to survive the stabbing, Pursell said.
Pursell said the suspect suffered life-threatening wounds. Pursell said Sheriff’s investigators know the suspect from a criminal history and gang affiliation, but authorities did not immediately release his identity.
“This was all preventable, this dog did not need to get stabbed,” Pursell said. “This was all the actions of the suspect. He made these choices.”
A man at the scene, who said he was the father of the suspect but did not want to give his name, said the suspect was the man involved in a standoff Saturday night with Fresno Police in the Tower District. Pursell did not confirm if the suspect was the man from the standoff but stated that Sheriff’s investigators were looking into the connection.
The man who said he was the father of the suspect hurriedly left the scene apparently headed to Community Regional Medical Center to check on the wounded man.
Because the incident occurred in an unincorporated area, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office is handling the initial probe, sheriff’s spokesman Tony Botti said via an email.
Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama was briefed at the scene but did not make a statement.
This story was originally published January 2, 2022 at 8:41 PM with the headline "Suspect stabs K-9 before Fresno Police officers open fire. Here’s the latest."