By Ashley Silver
Police1 Staff
MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Dramatic video released by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office recorded the moments before and after a Florida man stabbed a police K9 while attempting to elude authorities.
CBS 12 reported 36-year-old Christopher Darlington was identified driving a stolen vehicle in the parking lot of a local Walmart. Once Darlington saw deputies, he used the car as a weapon to ram a patrol vehicle before driving over a shopping cart in a desperate attempt to escape officers.
Using a helicopter, authorities were able to track down the suspect as he crashed into a fence. Darlington scrambled out of the wreckage and broke into an unoccupied home nearby, where deputies then set up a perimeter.
After the suspect refused to surrender, deputies and a K9 named Loki entered the home and found Darlington with two large knives in a corner. Body cam footage shows the suspect swiping at the K9 with the knives, cutting his nose and face.
The suspect was apprehended after the attack, and the K9 was taken to a local veterinarian hospital for treatment. According to CBS, Loki received 12 stitches to his nose and head, but is expected to make a full recovery.
Darlington was charged with several crimes, including possession of a stolen vehicle, aggravated battery on a LEO and police canine for his assault on Loki, along with several other drug charges.
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