Pierce County Sheriff's Dog Helps Find Car Theft Teen Suspects

PARKLAND, WA – Take a look at the dog in the picture. His name is Zepp and he is a good boy.

Zepp is an officer with the Pierce County Sheriff's Office.

On Sunday night he helped capture one of two teens charged with stealing a car at gunpoint. Get all the latest information on what's happening in your community by signing up for Patch's newsletters and breaking news alerts.

The sheriff's office says that just before 9 p.m., deputies responded to the 10900 block of D Street East in Parkland. They had received a report of a Toyota Corolla being carjacked.

Deputies were told that one of the carjackers, pointed a gun at the people in the car and said, "This can go one of two ways."

The victims told deputies that as they ran from the car, a second man jumped into the driver's seat while the man with the gun got in the passenger side.

About 30 minutes later, they found the stolen car in the parking lot of the Monterra Apartments on 111th Street Court East.

Deputies turn on their car's lights and sirens and the driver fled.

A tow truck, seeing what was happening, tried to block the fleeing car but the driver swerved , drove around, over a curb, and through a grassy area, and managed to escape.

Briefly.

Deputies found the car soon after, abandoned in the alleyway behind the Church of All Nations.

A man was seen running through the field by the church, was caught, and identified as the driver.

He refused to give his name. He refused to give his date of birth. He did tell deputies, "I drive pretty good for someone who didn't go to driver's ed."

This is where K9 Zepp comes in.

He and his handler were hot on the scent of the second carjacker.

After searching, K9 Zepp did just what he's been trained to do. He found the second person in an overgrown field to the west of the church. He was hiding under tarp in the thick grass.

Deputies recovered a .22 handgun nearby.

The driver is an 18-year-old and he is charged with robbery and stealing a car.

The person that K9 Zepp found was a 15-year-old boy who is charged with robbery and possessing a stolen gun. He also had two active warrants.

K9 Zepp has been on the force for a few years and has helped capture murder suspects, robbery suspects, and more. Once he was assaulted while on duty by a suspect who tried to suffocate him.

He made a full recovery from that incident.

Photos Pierce County Sheriff's Office.