A police dog was injured and a suspect was shot by officers during a burglary getaway in Hemet early Sunday morning.
It began when officers responded to a burglar alarm at 5:23 a.m. at a business in the 2000 block of East Florida Avenue, Hemet Police Lt. Eric Dickson said. They found a truck backed up against a business with a suspect inside the building.
Upon seeing the arriving officers, one suspect attempted to run east and was chased by an officer and a police dog. A second suspect tried to flee in the same direction in the truck, and in the process nearly struck the officer and hit the police dog, whose name is Duke.
The officer shot at the truck as the suspect fled north onto Yale Street, Dickson said. The officer, with the help of Duke, then arrested the suspect who had been on foot.
Moments later, police found the truck-driving suspect at the intersection of Yale Street and Florida Avenue, where officers shot and injured the suspect, according to Dickson. It was not clear what led the officers to shoot at the suspect a second time.
Both suspects were hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries, and Duke was taken to a veterinarian for medical treatment to his leg.
Duke has since returned home, Dickson said.
News
Top news of the day
The intersection of Yale Street and Florida Avenue was closed for about eight hours, but has since re-opened.
