SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) _ A police dog tackled and bit a detective who was chasing a burglary suspect.
Undercover investigator Kevin Blair, 37, had bites to his calf and both triceps and needed several stitches to close the wounds, inspector Mike Kerwin told The Post-Standard of Syracuse.
Police were responding to a 2:30 a.m. report Saturday of a possible burglary in progress. Officer John Reardon, the dog's handler, let Reno loose to search the building, Kerwin said.
The suspect ran out of the building, Blair chased him, and the dog chased them both, overtaking Blair. Kerwin said police dogs are trained to hold suspects at bay by watching them and barking until handlers arrive, but to stop attempts to escape.
"We don't think the dog did anything wrong," said Sgt. Jeff Gates of the Onondaga County Sheriff's Department, who oversees dog training. "In the heat of battle, with the suspect running and the officer running, there's no difference to the dog."
Police said they arrested Curtis Keane, 42, of Syracuse, charging him with burglary, possession of burglary tools, criminal mischief and petit larceny.
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