(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – A Wisconsin motorist is free on bond after he allegedly choked a police dog and gouged its eyes during a weekend traffic stop in northwest Indiana.
The incident began around 2:30 a.m. Sunday when a Crown Point police officer tried to stop the driver of a Maserati who reportedly was traveling at 86 miles per hour in a 45 mph zone. The driver sped up and did not pull over for another mile, Crown Point police officials said.
Although the motorist complied with some commands, he refused to exit the vehicle, even after being warned that a K-9 unit would be deployed if he did not get out, police said.
Police used a baton to break the passenger side window, and a department K-9 named Jack was sent into the vehicle.
In response, the driver “gouged” the animal’s eyes and grabbed it by the throat with both hands, “leaving the canine briefly incapacitated and causing his eyes to roll to the back of his head,” police said in a news release.
Police used a Taser on the motorist to prevent further harm to the dog and wrestled the driver out of the car.
Tyler Lee Pollard, 32, of Kenosha was charged with a variety of offenses, including battery of a public safety official; resisting law enforcement; striking a law enforcement animal; reckless driving and operating while intoxicated, police said. He reportedly was released from Lake County Jail after posting $2,500 bond.
On Monday, the department said K-9 Jack had received a “clean bill of health” from a veterinarian and is in the care of his handler.
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