A man stabbed and injured a Kent Police dog during an assistance response to a Des Moines Police assault case.
A K-9 officer and his German shepherd partner Kato were requested to respond to Des Moines to assist in attempting to locate an assault suspect at about 6:41 p.m. Tuesday, according to a Kent Police media release.
During the course of the tracking, Kato located the suspect. As Kato attempted to assist with taking the man into custody, he unexpectedly stabbed K-9 Kato in the shoulder with a pocket knife.
Officers were able to get the man in custody, and immediate attention was given to Kato. Kato was transported to a veterinary clinic where he underwent surgery before being released Wednesday.
“He is doing well,” said Kent detective Melanie Frazier. “He got a lot of love from the vet staff overnight, and will get a bunch more.”
Kato has been working on the force for nearly two years and has assisted in numerous apprehensions of suspects.
“The suspect’s actions (Tuesday) could have easily resulted in deadly consequences,” Frazier said. “Incidents such as this remind us of how dangerous an officer’s job can be and the risks we encounter every day.”
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