It is important to do what a police officer says, especially when an officer gives you a lawful order. One Baytown, Texas man found out the hard way what happens when you don’t. The officer involved ended up having to deploy his K9 unit when the situation quickly got out of hand.

A suspect with a troubled past

The officer had responded to a call for help at the local gas station. Upon arriving, the officer found the suspect still within the convenience store. The clerk says he refused to pay for some items and had been verbally abusive to other customers.

The suspect, James Thomas Liberto, had just been released from the nearby jail only moments before and had walked to the Conoco gas station immediately after his release. Liberto did not want to leave the lobby of the jail, where he was being held on a public intoxication charge. He had pulled the fire alarm in the lobby before being ushered out by police.

The suspect resists a lawful order

As the officer arrived, surveillance video shows him motioning for Liberto to come outside. When Liberto refuses, the officer enters the store and tries to physically remove him from the premises.

“The suspect basically verbally challenges the officer,” said Baytown police Lt. Scott Dorris, in a statement. “When the officer grabs the suspect’s arm, to escort him out of the store, the suspect throws a hot cup of coffee in the officer’s face, and that of course is what leads to the officer striking the suspect several times in the face.”

A scuffle takes place

The officer then begins hitting Liberto in an attempt to subdue him. After hitting Liberto many times, Liberto falls to the floor. At this point, the officer again tries to drag Liberto from the store, but Liberto retaliates and drags the officer down with him using his legs to trip him. Eventually, the officer regains his footing and drag Liberto to the door where he continues to resist.

The officer deploys his K9 partner

It is at this point that the officer deploys his K9 unit remotely. The K9 can be seen entering the store where Liberto is trying to hold the doors closed and quickly takes him down to the floor. Liberto remains on the floor until other officers arrive and he is arrested.

Fortunately, the officer was wearing sunglasses and was not seriously burned by the hot coffee. Liberto was taken into custody and charged with aggravated assault on a police officer. He was then sent to the Harris County Jail where he awaits trial.

When do the police release K9 units?

In many police departments, the decision to release a K9 unit is usually at the discretion of the handler. A K9 is just another tool at an officer’s disposal when protecting the community, though they do receive extensive training on the use of K9s in an altercation. In many cases, a police officer will issue a warning, sometimes more than once, before deploying the K9 unit.

Judge for yourself

In this case, the K9 unit was deployed to try and get control of the resisting suspect. This tactic seemed to work as Liberto was quickly taken down by the K9 unit and the officers on the scene were able to quickly get control of the situation and arrest him.

Check out the video of the incident and see for yourself exactly what happened.

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Source: KPRC 2

H/T: Click 2 Houston