After slamming into an overpass guardrail above the 118 Freeway in Porter Ranch during a high speed pursuit that exceeded speeds of 100 mph, the driver and four passengers jumped out of the allegedly stolen gray Nissan hatchback.
“Hey, get on the fucking ground!” An LAPD officer who had been trailing the Nissan shouted as the driver and another passenger hopped over the guardrail and fled down an embankment onto the westbound side of the freeway.
“Turn around and get on the ground!” The officer shouted at the remaining passengers, who seemed to struggle to hear him over the sound of helicopter blades circling above. Meanwhile, the driver and the other passenger slipped into the darkness.
An hour later, a dark-coated police K9 named “Erros” and a team of specially trained LAPD officers explored the brush underneath the Tampa Avenue exit of the 118 Freeway in search of the driver.
Oftentimes just the presence of a K9 at a crime scene and an audible warning over a loudspeaker is enough to make a suspect give up. Police dog bites are rarely fatal, but their jaws are strong enough to cut through sheet metal, and their bites are at times indistinguishable from shark attacks or bullet wounds, according to experts.