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Police Dog Stabbed and Airlifted to Hospital After Standoff with 'Suicidal Man'

The canine is in stable condition after the man, who also started a fire, stabbed the dog multiple times with a knife in Las Vegas

<p>Las Vegas Police Department</p> Canine Enzo

Las Vegas Police Department

Canine Enzo

A police dog in Las Vegas is in stable condition after being stabbed multiple times and airlifted to a veterinary trauma hospital for surgery.

The canine, named Enzo, and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) on Friday responded to a barricade situation involving a “suicidal man” in the 1200 block of South Las Vegas Boulevard.

“The officers learned the subject was armed with a knife and he refused to exit an apartment,” LVMPD said in a release. ”During this time the male started a fire in the apartment and the incident was deemed a barricade.”

After a SWAT team arrived, the man exited the building with a knife.

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“He quickly closed the distance on officers who deployed less-lethal options including K9 Enzo,” police added. “Enzo bit the subject, but the male was able to stab the dog multiple times.”

Officers then took the man into custody and rushed Enzo to a local veterinary hospital, before he was airlifted to a veterinary trauma hospital.

Police later shared an update about Enzo, a nearly 3-year-old Belgian Malinois, via social media and confirmed that the dog was in “stable condition and is expected to live.”

One update showed Enzo lying on what appeared to be a surgical table with veterinary personnel's hands around him. Enzo wore a soft muzzle as he stared into the camera.

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In another update on Saturday, police said, “Enzo is feeling better.”

The man, who suffered self-inflicted stab wounds, was in “critical but stable condition” at UMC Trauma Center, police said.


Enzo has been working with the LVMPD for about a year.

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