Holly MatkinCorona, CA – A heroic Corona police K9 soared through the shattered window of a violent suspect’s pickup to take him into custody on Friday (video below).
According to police, 31-year-old Julio Vasquez fled from officers after he allegedly stalked his wife and attempted to run her over with his vehicle, KSWB reported.
The pursuit began in Fontana shortly before 1 a.m., when a California Highway Patrol (CHP) trooper spotted Vasquez’s vehicle and attempted to pull him over in connection with the earlier incident, according to The Sacramento Bee.
The suspect refused to pull over, and led officers on a chase into Corona.
Police deployed spike strips and performed a pursuit intervention technique (PIT) maneuver to bring the chase to an end in the area of Interstate 15 and El Cerrito Road, KABC reported.
Vasquez then barricaded himself inside his pickup.
At one point during the standoff, officers fired a less-lethal weapon at the suspect’s vehicle, shattering his driver’s side window, KSWB reported.
“When it was safe to do so, I deployed K9 Duke,” Corona Police Department (CPD) Officer Michael Neff told TMZ.
In a flash, K9 Duke launched himself through the air and sailed expertly through the hole in the shattered window as he chomped down on his target, video footage showed.
Vasquez repeatedly punched K9 Duke in the head, but the fearless K9 refused to loosen his hold until the suspect had been dragged out of his vehicle and handcuffed by police.
K9 Duke, a seven-year-old Belgian Malinois who served in Iraq before he joined CPD two years ago, was not injured during the brawl, The Sacramento Bee reported.
“He’s great,” Officer Neff told TMZ the next day. “This morning, he played with my daughter and my wife and he’s happy. There’s not a scratch on him. He wants to go back out and work.”
“I’m very proud of him,” he told KTLA.
Get your Warrior 12 Fur Missile shirt HERE.
Vasquez was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries, according to WFLD.
He has been charged with felony evading and felony stalking, and may face additional charges for assaulting K9 Duke, KSWB reported.
You can watch footage of Vasquez being taken down by K9 Duke in the video below: