By Christine Vendel, Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.)
‘I’ve had people fight my dog before, but not bite him.’
It was a classic case of man bites dog, and it turned out even worse than you might expect.
That’s because this dog, Soty, works for the Kansas City Police Department.
Soty, a German shepherd, lost a small piece of his ear in a fight early Friday. As for the man, he got a bite on the arm and several criminal charges.
Police say a cabdriver complained about 2:15 a.m. that a rider refused to pay his $9.40 fare.
Police Officer David Magruder found a man fitting the rider’s description near 13th Street and Olive Avenue. After a chase, the man punched and fought with Magruder, who used his remote to open his car door and let Soty out.
Soty joined the fight and bit the man’s arm. The man bit back and also bit Magruder’s hand, breaking the skin, before other officers arrived and subdued him.
“I’ve had people fight my dog before, but not bite him,” Magruder said.
Mark A. McClarty, 28, of Kansas City, Kan., was charged with assault, resisting arrest and stealing. Police also were testing a white, rocklike substance found in his pocket.
Magruder was treated at a hospital, and Soty went to a veterinarian.
Both were put on antibiotics.