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Suspect's Bridge Leap Kills K-9

Police dog perishes after SoCal pursuit

By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff

Posted Jan 1, 2008 4:32 PM CST

(Newser) – A California man being pursued by police survived a dive off the San Diego-Coronado bridge, but the police dog he seized as he went over the rail died, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The dog, a German shepherd named Stryker, was part of the Oceanside police department, and a California Highway Patrol spokesman described his handler as upset: "It's his partner," he said.

The desperate leap and 200-foot fall ended a chase that began when police attempted to stop the man for driving erratically; Fox 6 TV reported that he was suspected of DUI. The driver led police on and off highways before leaving his vehicle at the bridge’s highest point. The police dog then bit and tackled the man, who jumped off the bridge while the two were still entangled. The man was rescued by a harbor police boat and hospitalized.

A boat rests on a Coronado beach near the Coronado Bay Bridge (background), linking San Diego to Coronado Island in this undated file photo. (David McNew/Getty Images)
A boat rests on a Coronado beach near the Coronado Bay Bridge (background), linking San Diego to Coronado Island in this undated file photo. (David McNew/Getty Images)   (Getty Images)
The Coronado-San Diego bridge is seen in this undated file photo. (David McNew/Getty Images)
The Coronado-San Diego bridge is seen in this undated file photo. (David McNew/Getty Images)   (Getty Images)
A man and his dog row in waters closely watched by officials for terrorist attacks on the Coronado Bay Bridge, linking San Diego (background) to Coronado Island in this undated file photo. (David McNew/Getty Images)
A man and his dog row in waters closely watched by officials for terrorist attacks on the Coronado Bay Bridge, linking San Diego (background) to Coronado Island in this undated file photo. (David McNew/Getty...   (Getty Images)
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