Police have been searching for the two teens who robbed a Tucson-area Quik Mart on July 31. And on September 3, they located one of the suspects, a 15-year-old male.
He was located at approximately 11 p.m. by officers assigned to the SWATSpecial Weapons and Tactics team. And as those officers pursued him, along with a K9 unit named Tango, the minor attempted to flee the scene.
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While he was running, the suspect managed to turn around and fire three gunshots towards officers, one of which struck Tango.
Police returned fire, striking the boy twice before Tango – despite his bullet wound – was able to incapacitate him.
He was taken from the scene to Valley Animal Hospital to assess and treat his wound.
The teen was found to have a semi-automatic handgun and was taken to the hospital where he was expected to recover from his injuries and be booked into jail once he received medical clearance.
According to KOLD News, he was indeed discharged on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020, and taken to the county jail. He was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, animal abuse, and other charges related to the September 3rd incident.
K9 units are considered officers while on the job.
Tango is also expected to recover. In fact, police have said he will likely be back to normal and be able to return to duty eventually!
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K9 Tango is recovering after being shot during an arrest of an armed robbery suspect last night. Despite being shot Tango captured the suspect. We expect him to be back to work in a couple weeks! Special thanks to the staff at Valley Animal Hospital. #K9leadstheway #servarevitas pic.twitter.com/zvrAk2cwTz
— Tucson Police K9 (@tucsonpolicek9) September 4, 2020
Tango has been on the mend ever since with relatively few complications (though he did need to be weaned off one of his pain meds due to some interesting behavior!).
I went back to VCA Animal Hospital and had my drain tube removed. I also had to stop taking one of the pain medications due to seeing and trying to eat invisible flies. It was entertaining for the family to watch but was making me a little too hyper. pic.twitter.com/kzrFXxL7UC
— TPD K9 Tango (@TPDK9Tango) September 7, 2020
On September 14th, Tango was cleared for “light duty” and posted an update on his very own Twitter account.
I was cleared for “light duty” last night 😃. It was great getting a chance to do some detection training and a little exercise.
— TPD K9 Tango (@TPDK9Tango) September 15, 2020
Citizens were eager to donate to Tango’s recovery fund. In fact, the outpouring of support allowed the department to raise $3,262 and pay off his vet bill on 9/8/2020.
“Tango was hoping for a Trip to Cancun, but he’ll just have to settle for an orthopedic dog bed inside the house,” they joked.
An officer with the Tuscon PD drew even more attention to Tango’s plight and recovery in a Facebook post a few days after the dog was shot. It was a testament to just how much human officers rely on their K9 units and how grateful they are for their service.
“When my Team went to take down a robbery suspect two days ago, the suspect pulled a gun and fired several rounds at us. I truly believe one of the only reason we didn’t get hit was because this “Fur Missile” was bearing down on the suspect, distracting him and knocking him to the ground. This K9 was so on task that we didn’t even know he had been shot until after the suspect was in custody,” he wrote.
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Job well done, Tango!