On the Street

Suspect Trying to Escape Arrest Bites Tenn. Police Officer after Choking K-9

Oct. 22, 2024

When a Memphis police K-9 had tracked down a man wanted on a warrant from Mississippi, the suspect choked the dog by his chain collar and bit the hand of an officer who tried to intervene.

By Natalie Demaree

Source The Charlotte Observer

6717fe68e1f9fb07232d100f Memphis Police Dept

Attempting to get away from law enforcement, a 31-year-old man bit an officer and choked a K-9, Tennessee police said.

A K-9 was called around 5:40 p.m. on Oct. 20 to help officers locate Tommie Williams, who jumped a fence and ran into the woods behind a church in Memphis while trying to evade arrest, the Memphis Police Department said in a news release shared with McClatchy News.

Williams had a warrant from Mississippi for aggravated assault, according to the release.

Police said he continued to be non-compliant after the K-9 tracked him down. The dog then bit him twice on his right arm.

Williams then grabbed the K-9 by his chain collar and started choking the dog, officers said. When an officer tried to intervene, Williams bit the officer’s hand.

Officers arrested Williams and took him to a hospital in non-critical condition.

He is charged with two counts of assault against a first responder, evading arrest on foot and resisting official detention, police said.

Williams was released Oct. 21 on a $7,500 bond and is set to appear in court Oct. 23, according to police records.

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