A California K-9 really jumped into action at the tail-end of a police chase Friday, blasting through a stalking suspect’s driver’s side window to stop him in his tracks.
Wild video from ABC7 shows how the heroic hound’s lightning-fast response led to the collar of 31-year-old Julio Vasquez in Corona, Calif., after a lengthy pursuit east of Los Angeles early Friday.
“His name is Duke, and he’s a great dog. He did exactly what he was trained to do,” Sgt. Chad Fountain with Corona Police told the Daily News Friday.
He said Duke is about 5 ½ years old and a Belgian Malinois, the same breed as the military dog that recently assisted in the special forces raid in Syria that resulted in the death of Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
“The breed is very athletic and driven. That type of stuff – apprehensions in vehicles through windows – is something that’s trained on a regular basis. But seeing it caught on video like that is rare,” Fountain said.
The chase started when Fontana police were called around midnight for a man who allegedly violated a restraining order involving his estranged wife.
He was wanted for assault with a deadly weapon after he allegedly showed up to the wife’s work Thursday and tried to hit her with a truck.
Vasquez fled when police arrived, leading officers on a pursuit that spanned multiple freeways.
The California Highway Patrol employed spike strips and a PIT maneuver to end the chase.
Vasquez refused to surrender once he was stopped and surrounded in Corona, police said.
After offering Vasquez multiple chances to cooperate, police pelted his driver’s side window with rubber bullets, cracking the glass.
That’s when Duke then crashed through the opening, landing on the suspect’s shoulder and subduing him with non-lethal force.
Vasquez was taken to a hospital to be treated for minor injuries, according to police.
Asked how Duke was faring after Vasquez struck him several times, Fountain said he’s “totally fine.”
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