The incident began when a man called 911 at 10:47 p.m. to report that a gunman had stolen his pickup truck outside a Domino’s Pizza at 5460 E. Speedway.
Minutes later a patrol officer spotted the truck near East 5th Street and North Alvernon Way and attempted to pull it over. Instead, the driver led the officer on a chase.
The man continued driving even after crashing into a fence in the 500 block of North Treat Avenue.
After pulling into an alleyway near East Second Street and North Stewart Avenue, the driver got out of the truck and fled on foot. He was chased by several officers and the police dog.
A confrontation in the front yard of a house in the 2900 block of East Second Street resulted in the shooting.
Police said Thursday afternoon that the man held a large-caliber gun up to his head. At that time, Officer Chris Fenoglio released his dog, Ivan.
Ivan bit the man on the arm and the man shot and killed Ivan, Tucson police said.
Officers told the man to drop his gun, but he refused. Officers Fenoglio, Matthew Merz, Jason Kerns and Jon Collamore all fired multiple times at the man. He was shot several times.
The alleged carjacker was pronounced dead at the scene. He has been identified but police have not released his name.
Ivan died at a veterinary hospital.
The entire incident took just eight minutes. All the officers involved are veteran officers.
(Arizona Daily Star - Dec 13, 2012)
