Alabama Dog Attack: K9 Bites Deputy While Chasing 2 Suspects Running From Traffic Stop

A police dog in Alabama bit a deputy while chasing two teens who were running from a traffic stop Monday.

The sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene after receiving a report of gunfire. A witness described a vehicle in which the suspects fled. The deputies soon spotted the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop. The two teens jumped from the vehicle and tried to flee. This was when the K9 was released by its handler. The dog instead bit the deputy. The K9 has been serving the Decatur Police Department for two years.

Decatur police spokeswoman Emme Long said the dog “was not in violation of any training.” “It was doing what it was supposed to,” she said, adding that the K9 would resume duty from Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the deputy was taken to a local hospital where he was bandaged. He was recovering and was expected to resume work Friday.

Mike Swafford, a sheriff’s office spokesman, said, “The deputy happened to pull up and get out of the car just as the dog was released.”

Meanwhile, the two teens, identified as Luis Angel Ortiz and Jordan Fuqua, were taken into custody and charged with attempting to elude. Meanwhile, Ortiz was also charged with multiple offenses including failing to stop at a stop sign and driving on the wrong side of the road. Investigation into the firing was ongoing and nobody was injured in the incident.

The incident comes months after a police dog was fatally shot by a Georgia deputy for biting him instead of the suspect. Cpl. Brandon Kilgore, his partner, K-9 Verro, and other deputies responded to a scene after receiving a report of domestic dispute. Upon arrival, the deputy spotted the suspect attempting the flee by jumping over fences. The deputy soon got out of his patrol car, leaving the dog behind.

The canine, however, managed to escape through the window. Unaware that Verro was a police dog, one of the deputies started running away from the canine. Unable to differentiate between the deputy and the suspects, the dog latched onto the officer’s leg. The deputy then shot the canine.