Trending Topics

Aggravated assault suspect bites Tenn. officer, attempts to choke K-9 before arrest

After a Memphis Police Department K-9 caught up with and bit the fleeing suspect, he tried to use the K-9’s chain collar to choke the dog

Tyre Nichols

A patch of the Memphis Police Department is seen during a meeting of the Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission Thursday, May 18, 2023 in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

George Walker IV/AP

By Natalie Demaree
The Charlotte Observer

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Attempting to get away from law enforcement, a 31-year-old man bit an officer and choked a K-9, Tennessee police said.

A K-9 was called around 5:40 p.m. on Oct. 20 to help officers locate Tommie Williams, who jumped a fence and ran into the woods behind a church in Memphis while trying to evade arrest, the Memphis Police Department said in a news release shared with McClatchy News.

Williams had a warrant from Mississippi for aggravated assault, according to the release.

Police said he continued to be non-compliant after the K-9 tracked him down. The dog then bit him twice on his right arm.

Williams then grabbed the K-9 by his chain collar and started choking the dog, officers said. When an officer tried to intervene, Williams bit the officer’s hand.

Officers arrested Williams and took him to a hospital in non-critical condition.

He is charged with two counts of assault against a first responder, evading arrest on foot and resisting official detention, police said.

Williams was released Oct. 21 on a $7,500 bond and is set to appear in court Oct. 23, according to police records.

©2024 The Charlotte Observer. Visit charlotteobserver.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Trending
A security guard at the Islamic Center of San Diego “played a pivotal role” in limiting casualties after two teenage gunmen opened fire, Police Chief Scott Wahl said
The officer is accused of shooting a man after a pursuing another man to a shared residence; ICE has since investigated whether the officers at the scene lied about being attacked with shovels
The warrant states that Joseph Magnano should be charged becase he recklessly engaged in conduct that created a grave risk of death to Steven Jones, as well as because the shooting was not legally justified
The suspects, ages 17 and 18, were found dead after opening fire at the Islamic Center of San Diego, where a security guard was credited with preventing more deaths