By Mary Weston
The Chico Enterprise-Record
OROVILLE, Calif. — An Oroville Police Department canine took down a man suspected of stealing a small motorcycle, and who while fleeing had assaulted a police officer.
“Barricade performed flawlessly apprehending the suspect as he was trained to do,” said Oroville Police Chief Kirk Trostle.
Officer John Sanzone and his police K-9 Barricade, along with officer Dave Bryning, went to an alarm at Oroville’s Tractor Supply Co. at 5 a.m. Thursday, according to an OPD press release.
Officers found Kenneth Gardener, 38, of Oroville, trying to remove a small motorcycle from the fenced area on the north side of the business. Sanzone ordered the man to the ground in order to arrest him. However, Gardener ran from the fenced area and jumped on his bicycle to flee from the officers.
When Gardener tried to ride past Sanzone, the officer told him to stop or he would use his Taser stun gun. Still, the suspect allegedly charged the officer on the bicycle. Sanzone fired his Taser, striking Gardener in the chest, but it didn’t affect the suspect, who kicked Sanzone in the upper thigh, buckling him to the ground.
Officer Bryning forced Gardener from the bicycle, but he refused orders to stop and ran off.
Officer Sanzone used his remote door opener to release Barricade from the back seat of the patrol car. Barricade jumped out and chased Gardener down as he ran, biting him in the upper arm and pulling him to the ground.
Gardener was handcuffed after a short struggle. He was booked into the Butte County Jail for theft, drug-related crimes and assault on a peace officer causing injury.
Sanzone was treated for injuries and released.
This was the Police Department’s first use of the canine officer to apprehend a fleeing suspect. “Barricade was instrumental in his use not only by apprehending the suspect but also during a time when his handler was temporarily immobilized by injury,” according to the press release.
Trostle said the canine and the officer had been training together for four weeks. “The handling officer and the canine performed exactly as trained,” Trostle said.
Copyright 2008 The Chico Enterprise-Record