SPOKANE, Wash.- A police K-9 dog is recovering and a 22-year-old male is dead after a traffic-stop-turned-pursuit late Tuesday night. The Spokane County Sheriff's Office says the man was killed in an Spokane Police Officer involved shooting after he shot the police dog.
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Just before 10:30 p.m. Tuesday night a SPD patrol officer noticed a Honda Civic being driven recklessly at the intersection of Division and Longfellow. When the officer attempted to stop the driver for the traffic violations, the suspect sped away.
Rather than engage in a foot pursuit, officers decided to secure the Honda and called for a K-99 team to conduct a track. The K-9 team and cover officer tracked the suspect into an alley
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Police say the dog first found the suspect and engaged him. At that point, the cover officer tried to physically take control of the suspect, but the suspect pulled out a pistol and shot the dog. The K-9 handler returned fire and shot the suspect, later identified as Johnnie Longest.
Longest was taken by ambulance to a downtown hospital where he died from his injuries shortly after midnight.
Police say Longest has a nine-year criminal history and in January alone showed convictions for vehicle theft, felony drug possession, reckless driving and driving while license suspended.
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The canine was taken to a 24-hour pet emergency clinic where he was declared in stable condition at midnight. The Spokane Sheriff's Office reports that the police dog remains in stable condition, and no decision has been made regarding surgery to remove bullet as evidence.
