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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.

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