By Mark Price
The Charlotte Observer
POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida driver fast asleep beside a store’s gas pumps turned violent when awakened and bit a deputy’s K-9 partner on the head, according to investigators.
The driver also bit the deputy, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said in a Feb. 8 social media post.
It happened around 8:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 3 , at a 7-Eleven in Davenport after the responding deputies found three people in the vehicle.
“Two men were asleep in the front of a black 2006 Honda Accord that was parked at one of the pumps at a gas station. In the back seat was a 4-year old girl,” the sheriff’s office wrote.
“The deputies wanted to first make sure everyone was alright, but as soon as they woke up the two snoozers, chaos erupted. (The driver) tried starting the car, but a deputy said that wasn’t happening, and an in-car scuffle ensued. (He) was hitting, pushing, and even biting a deputy.”
The deputy then brought his K-9 partner Zorak into the fray, officials said, and the driver “grabbed the dog and then began biting the dog’s ear.”
Details of the dog’s reaction were not revealed.
During the chaos, the man in the passenger seat grabbed the 4-year old girl and ran into traffic, “causing multiple vehicles to slam on their brakes,” the sheriff’s office said.
One deputy chased him down and rescued the girl, while the other deputy subdued the driver, officials said.
A search of the vehicle revealed the men were in “possession of cocaine, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia,” officials said.
In addition, the driver was charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, battery on K9, resisting arrest and driving with a revoked license, officials said.
The passenger was also charged with possession of a stolen firearm and child abuse, officials said.
The deputy and dog did not suffer serious injuries, officials said.
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