Incredible moment fearless K9 officer Duke leaps through an open truck window and subdues fugitive despite being punched in the face
- A dog named ‘Duke’ working for the Corona Police Department in California took down a fugitive driver by leaping through his broken truck window Friday
- Video footage shows the heroic hound spring to action, literally flying through the window of a pickup driven by the suspect, identified as Julio Vasquez
- Vasquez, 31, who was accused of stalking and attempting to harm his wife, had led police fon a lengthy pursuit near Los Angeles
- The chase, which started in Fontana, ended in Corona when cops said they used a pit maneuver to stop Vasquez’s truck, which was pelted with rubber bullets
- The barrage cracked the drivers window enough so Duke could leap through to apprehend the driver using ‘non-lethal’ force, police said.
- Despite being punched by the suspect, the 7-year-old Belgian Malinois got his man without injury. ‘He’s totally fine,’ says Sergeant Chad Fountain
A police dog leaped through the cracked glass of a broken truck window to help nab a fugitive driver who led multiple police agencies on a chase in California early Friday.
A 7-year-old Belgian Malinois named Duke, working for the Corona Police Department literally sprung into action, flying through the cracked window to help stop the driver, identified as Julio Vasquez just after 12:30 a.m.
Vasquez, 31, who was accused of stalking and attempting to harm his wife, had lead police from several departments on a lengthy pursuit near Los Angeles.
Julio Vasquez, 31, who was accused of stalking and attempting to harm his wife, had lead police from several departments on a lengthy pursuit near Los Angeles. He is pictured inside the cab of his truck after it was stopped by cops after the chase
The pursuit began in Fontana and ended in Corona, when cops said they used a pit maneuver to stop Vasquez’s truck, which they pelted with rubber bullets, police said.
The barrage cracked the drivers window enough so Duke could leap through to apprehend the driver using ‘non-lethal’ force, police said.
Despite being punched by the suspect, Duke got his man without injury.
‘He’s doing fine. Like nothing happened,’ Corona Police Sergeant Chad Fountain tells DailyMail.com.
Cops pelted the truck with rubber bullets and cracked the drivers side window enough so that Duke could leap through and apprehend the fugitive drive (pictured), using ‘non-lethal force’
Duke is seen in video footage getting the suspect without injury, ending a standoff with police
Vasquez, 31, was accused of stalking and attempting to harm his wife, police said
Duke also is the same breed as Conan, the military dog that recently assisted in the special forces raid in Syria that resulted in the death of Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
‘It’s the same breed. They’re just awesome,’ Foutain told DailyMail.com.
‘They’re very athletic and muscular. They just will go, go, go. It doesn’t matter if they’re tired or not. They’re just very driven animals and they love to work.’
The sergeant expressed gratitude for Duke’s heroism.
‘For a dog to do what Duke did, with no regard for his own safety, or any danger to him, ‘he was there sure all our officers were safe.’
‘He’s totally fine,’ says Sergeant Chad Fountain, after Duke emerges from the truck
Duke also is the same breed as Conan, the military dog that recently assisted in the special forces raid in Syria that resulted in the death of Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. ‘The breed is very athletic and driven, says Corona Police Sergeant Chad Fountain