Suspect Accused Of Leading Deputies On Chase, Choking Sheriff K9

PIERCE COUNTY, WA — A 33-year-old man has been arrested after a car theft and manhunt in the Frederickson area.

According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, it all began just after 2 a.m. Tuesday morning. That's when a deputy was finishing up an unrelated call, but was approached by a man on foot, who told the deputy his car had just been stolen.

The deputy then jumped in his patrol vehicle and quickly found the stolen Ford F-150 heading west along 224th Street. The deputy turned on his lights, but instead of stopping, the sheriff's department says the suspect vehicle took off along 62nd Ave. E. As it approached a wooded area it came to a quick stop, and the driver jumped out of the truck and into the woods.

The K9 Ammo and his handler were then called in to search the woods for the escaped suspect. Deputies say Ammo led their team through a thick patch of blackberry bushes, past several houses, eventually coming into a large, multi-acre clearing full of slash piles, downed trees and loose branches.

Eventually as they approached the edge of the property, Ammo found the suspect hiding in a pile of branches and tree roots. But as the dog went to pull the suspect out, deputies say he grabbed the dogs muzzle, covered Ammo's nose, and began to choke the K9. Despite the attack, Ammo didn't let go and deputies managed to grab the suspect and take him into custody.

The suspect, identified by deputies only as a 33-year-old man, was evaluated and treated for minor wounds, and has since been booked into the Pierce County Jail on suspicion of vehicle theft, possession of stolen property, obstructing law enforcement, and hurting a police dog.