By Noah Cohen
nj.com
BELLMAWR BOROUGH, N.J. — A knife-wielding man stabbed a police dog and attacked a state trooper Monday after a pursuit that ended on the New Jersey Turnpike in South Jersey, authorities said.
Troopers were initially called to a shirtless man, armed with a knife, standing outside his vehicle on Interstate 295 near exit 28 in Bellmawr Borough shortly after 2 p.m., according to the New Jersey State Police.
The man got in his vehicle and drove away when troopers arrived, leading to a chase, according to police. A short time later, the fleeing suspect exited Interstate 295 at exit 36A, to Route 73 before getting on the Turnpike by Interchange 4, authorities said.
Troopers continued to pursue the suspect northbound on the highway before his vehicle was disabled at milepost 37.1, according to the State Police.
“Troopers ordered the driver to exit the vehicle, but he refused, so a State Police K-9 was utilized to assist troopers entering the vehicle to apprehend the suspect,” the agency said in a statement. “As they attempted to gain control of the suspect, he stabbed the K-9 with a knife.”
“At this time, the troopers removed the injured K-9 from the vehicle and the suspect exited the vehicle,” the statement said. “As the troopers arrested the suspect, the man struck a trooper with a flashlight.”
State Police said the injured K-9 was taken to an animal hospital and listed in stable condition.
[RELATED: 10 ways patrol officers can help the K-9 unit]
The trooper suffered non life-threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital, according to the statement.
The names of the alleged attacker and of the injured trooper were not released Monday night. Officials identified the wounded dog as K-9 Creed in a Twitter post on the State Police account.
State Trooper and K-9 Injured during Arrest of Knife-Wielding Man
Bellmawr Borough, N.J. - A New Jersey State Trooper and a State Police K-9 were injured while attempting to arrest a knife-wielding man following a pursuit earlier today.https://t.co/hmVfOXvqjP pic.twitter.com/RHYYg40KLH
— NJSP - State Police (@NJSP) August 17, 2021
©2021 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit nj.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.