LAKE STATION, IND. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - The extreme heat and failed air conditioning led to the deaths of some police K-9s in Lake Station Thursday.
The K-9s were being transported from O’Hare to a training facility in Michigan City. Lake Station Police said the driver of the transport vehicle was stuck in traffic for two hours and was unaware that the air conditioning in the back, where the dogs were, had failed.
The dogs were in a separated cargo area. They were going into “heat-related medical distress,” according to police. The driver realized this when he heard barking.
He stopped at the Road Ranger on Ripley Street in Lake Station and started getting the animals out of their crates.
There were calls to 9-1-1 and citizens helped. The dogs were taken inside and were given water.
“The scene was chaotic and took an emotional toll on all that were involved in trying to save as many canines as possible,” said Police Chief James Richardson in a statement.
He called it a “freak event.”
It’s unclear how many dogs were being transported or how many died.
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