Just before 8:00 p.m., La Mesa PD officers responded to a domestic violence call in the 8200 block of Orchard Avenue after receiving a report that two adult brothers were arguing inside a residence, and one had threatened another with a hammer.
Because officers were unsure whether the alleged attacker was still on the premises, Sergeant Michael Pierce of the La Mesa Police requested K-9 backup. An El Cajon Police K-9 unit responded promptly with a police dog to search a crawl space under the house to determine whether the suspect was hiding there.
But when the K-9 handler from El Cajon released his dog, instead of proceeding to the crawl space, the Belgian Malinois instead turned and charged the group of La Mesa police officers standing about 15 feet away.
Recognizing the dog was serious, Sgt. Pierce jumped in front of his fellow officers and the dog attacked him, causing lacerations to his arm and wrist before the dog handler from El Cajon regained control, reports the San Diego Reader.
Sgt. Pierce was taken to a local hospital by ambulance, where he received stitches for the dog bites, according to 10News.com. He is expected to make a full recovery.
(Opposing Views - Feb 8, 2013)
