Suspect Chokes Out Police Dog, But K-9 Doesn’t Lose Battle With Robber


A suspect choked out a police dog, but he was arrested anyway. The incident happened Friday evening at a Wal-Mart store in Fort Myers, Florida, according to WJCL News.

Deputies responded to an attempted robbery at the store when 25-year-old Liferein Lenord Bell was able to flee the store. In an in-depth report by News-Press in Fort Myers, a police helicopter and K-9 deputies searched and located Bell hiding in a bush. When the police K-9 — “Kilo” — made his move to capture the suspect, Bell choked him until he passed out.

Kilo wasn’t out for very long. Deputies were struggling with Bell when Kilo woke up and bit his arm. At that point, authorities were able to arrest him and take him into custody.

As the report explains, store security was struggling with a robber attempting to steal two area rugs by trading price tags. Bell was approached by an arriving deputy, but said he was “not going to jail” and continued struggling with him and the other security officers. Aside from the suspect choking out the police dog, this man was somehow able to tear away from authorities and abscond through the store’s front doors.

Soon after Bell escaped, South District deputies and K-9 units were dispatched to find the suspect. A police helicopter and K-9 deputies eventually tracked down Bell to the area of Jamaica Bay Boulevard and Impala Court.

After deputies cornered Bell — who was hiding in a bush — they ordered him to come out with his hands up. Bell refused to do what he was instructed to, so Kilo ran in to apprehend him. Shockingly, Bell “wrapped his arms around Kilo’s neck, and pinned Kilo with the full weight of his body,” the report states.

Deputies tried stopping the suspect as he choked the police dog out, but Kilo’s body went limp and he passed out. Despite the efforts of deputies trying to stop Bell from hurting the dog, Bell pulled Kilo in and continued to keep his arms around the K-9’s neck. Kilo soon woke up and bit Bell on his left arm and wrist.

Once deputies restrained the robbery suspect, they took him into custody and removed Kilo. The police K-9 reportedly suffered a cut to his left eye and nose. He has some facial swelling, but is otherwise back on patrol.

By the end of it all, Bell was arrested and charged with theft, resisting a merchant, resisting without violence, and using a deadly weapon on a police animal.

[Photo Credit: Lee County Sheriff’s Office]

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