A Las Vegas police dog is in stable condition after being stabbed multiple times and was airlifted to a veterinary trauma hospital for surgery.
A dog named Enzo and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) responded to a barricade situation involving a “suicidal male” in the 1200 block of South Las Vegas Boulevard on Friday.
“Officers learned that the subject was armed with a knife and refused to exit the residence,” LVMPD said in a statement. “During this time, a man lit a fire in the apartment and the incident was classified as a barricade.”
After the special team arrived, the man came out of the building with a knife.
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“He quickly closed the distance to officers using less lethal options including K9 Enzo,” police added. “Enzo bit the subject but the male was able to stab the dog multiple times.”
Officers then took the man into custody and took Enzo to a local veterinary hospital before he was airlifted to a veterinary trauma hospital.
Police later shared an update on Enzo, a nearly 3-year-old Belgian Malinois, via social media and confirmed the dog was in “stable condition and expected to survive.”
One update showed Enzo lying on what appeared to be a surgical table with the arms of veterinary staff around him. Enzo wore a soft muzzle as he stared into the camera.
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In another update Saturday, police said, “Enzo is doing better.”
The man, who suffered stab wounds, was in “critical but stable condition” at the UMC Trauma Center, police said.
Enzo has been working with the LVMPD for about a year.
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Source: HIS Education