Suspect Killed, Police Dog Shot During Parole Check In Anaheim
ANAHEIM (CBSLA.com) — A suspect was killed and a police dog shot during a parole check in Anaheim Thursday.
KCAL9 reports probation officers arrived at the intersection of La Palma and Mayfair avenues at approximately 2 p.m. to check on a parolee when police say one man began shooting at both officers inside their vehicle and another took off running.
The officers were not hit and put in a call to Anaheim police, who responded to the scene and set up a perimeter. A SWAT team and K9 unit were called in to aid in the search for the suspect.
Authorities say police dog Bruno guided his handler, officer RJ Young, to the suspect, who fired shots, striking the dog in the face. Officers returned fire, fatally shooting the suspect.
"The dog alerted that the suspect was hiding behind a trash can. As they went up, the suspect stood up and started shooting at the direction of the officers and purposely aimed at the dog, shooting the dog," Anaheim Police Lt. Tim Schmidt said.
Bruno was critically wounded after a bullet entered through his face and became lodged in his chest, requiring surgeons to remove part of his damaged lung and repair his shattered jaw. He came out of surgery at Yorba Linda Regional Animal Hospital at approximately 9:15 p.m. Thursday and was expected to survive.
Several officers kept a vigil at the facility.
Anaheim Police K9 Association President Cheryl Timmons said she has known Bruno since he was a puppy, and officer Young couldn't be more close to his K9.
"They have one of the tightest relationships you could ever imagine. This is going to be a really rough one for RJ," she said.
Bruno, at 7 years old, is the most senior police dog, according to the City of Anaheim, and has been in service for six years. It remains unclear if he will return to duty or will retire.
Police meanwhile say one suspect remains at large. He is described as a Hispanic male, approximately 20 years old, and was wearing all black at the time of the incident.
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