Police K-9 and three officers burned after San Diego suspect sets himself alight

A man smashing car windows in San Diego's North Park fled into a store carrying a torch and flammable liquid, burning a police dog and injuring three officers before being shot dead.

Suspect shot dead after setting police dog on fire in San Diego standoff

A man who had been smashing car windows near El Cajon Boulevard in San Diego's North Park neighbourhood was shot and killed by police on Wednesday morning after setting a police K-9 alight inside a local business, according to the San Diego Police Department.

The Sun reports that three officers and the K-9 unit were injured during the incident, which began shortly after 9 a.m. when authorities received calls about a disturbance of the peace.

Officers responding to the scene found the suspect vandalising vehicles with a metal rod. A total of four cars were reported damaged before police spotted the man and gave chase. He fled to the intersection of 30th Street and Polk Avenue and ran inside the Adult Emporium, a business situated next to the Lazy Dog Cafe.

Officers established a perimeter and attempted to coax the suspect out of the store, deploying non-lethal warning rounds. They then sent in K-9 Ryder to compel the man to surrender. The suspect, who was carrying a blowtorch and flammable liquid, burned the dog on its neck and around its face.

Three officers immediately used their bare hands to extinguish the flames on Ryder, sustaining burns to their hands in the process. Once the fire was out, they removed the dog to a patrol car before returning to the entrance to support their colleagues.

Police deployed bean bag rounds in a further attempt to subdue the suspect. The man then advanced on officers while setting himself on fire. Officers responded with lethal rounds. The suspect was transported by ambulance to hospital, where he was pronounced dead just before noon. His name had not been confirmed at the time of reporting.

San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl was present when Ryder was discharged from a veterinary hospital later the same day. "Our officers are out here protecting people, stepping into harm's way every single day," Wahl said. "It's the absolute least I can do to make sure they're okay in the hospital, and that goes for our K-9s as well."

Ryder is expected to make a full recovery, though emergency veterinarian Kristina Welsh cautioned that the coming days could prove difficult. "Within a day or two it may evolve; we may see that the area we thought was localised could get bigger," Welsh said, stressing the importance of rest during recovery.

The San Diego Sheriff's Office has since taken over the investigation into the incident.

Witnesses living near the scene described the unfolding events as alarming. Jonah Gruber, who heard the confrontation from his home, said officers could be heard shouting commands at the suspect. "Drop the blowtorch. Come out with your hands up," he recalled. "I heard a warning shot. It was definitely scary. I haven't seen anything like that before." Gruber added that the episode had left him uneasy about community safety. "It only makes me worried as a resident living here — anyone who has mental health issues or someone who is on some kind of drug can find a blowtorch and start burning people, or a dog."

His girlfriend, Piper Whittington, watched events unfold from her living room window. "I was like, what on earth is going on? We immediately ran back inside just because we felt it wasn't safe," she said. "I just moved here four months ago. It's wild that I'm seeing this."

The three officers were treated for burns following the incident. The SDPD confirmed all personnel involved received medical attention.

Source: The Sun