Beloved Brookhaven K9 Grizz Passes Away

BROOKHAVEN, GA -- One of the city's first K9 officers has died. Grizz passed away on Monday, Dec. 10, 2018. Grizz was handled by Officer John Ritch until Grizz retired in August 2015. Grizz worked protecting the citizens in Brookhaven, after working on the streets in Paulding County as well as Sandy Springs.

In September 2014, Ritch and Girzz were attacked by a swarm of yellow jackets after tracking a suspect for DeKalb County police. The pair were pursuing a suspect on foot in a wooded area off I-85 when Ritch and Grizz fell about 10 feet to the bottom of a hill after rocks broke loose. The shifting rocks freed a cavern of the stinging insects, Ritch said.

"I immediately did not realize I was getting stung, because I was being stung so many times," Ritch said. "I just knew something was in my eyes, my nose and my mouth. I was having difficulty breathing immediately, my chest became very tight. I looked over at Grizz and he was laid down in the vegetation, covered with yellow jackets in his ears, his nose, his eyes, and where his lips met."

But the officers couldn't turn and run, Ritch said, because the suspect was in the ravine with them. Other officers took control of the suspect, and Ritch and his partner got out. But Ritch's airway was blocked by the time he reached a parking lot and he was having trouble breathing.

Suffering around 100 stings and showing signs of a severe allergic reaction, Ritch was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital. Grizz was treated at an emergency veterinary clinic in Sandy Springs.

SEE ALSO: 'My Chest Became Very Tight' Says Cop Stung By Yellow Jackets

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Images Brookhaven Police