A sergeant with the 10th Special Forces Group is suspected of repeatedly stabbing a Colorado Springs police dog Wednesday — an attack that left the K-9 in critical condition and led to the removal of one of his legs.
Police identified the suspect as Anthony Bryant, 37. An official at Fort Carson, Colorado, confirmed to local news outlets that Bryant is a sergeant first class assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group. His booking information with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office also lists him as being on active duty at the U.S. Army base.
Officers responded Wednesday morning to a residence about 20 miles north of Fort Carson for a reported violation of a domestic violence protection order. There, Bryant barricaded himself inside the home, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department.
Police sent in a tactical enforcement unit, along with K-9s. A police dog by the name of K-9 Roam and his handler encountered Bryant, and Roam was stabbed multiple times.
The dog was taken to Animal ER Care, where he arrived in critical condition and underwent surgery. Roam was stabbed in the head and neck and had a severe laceration extending from his abdomen to his left hind leg, which had to be removed during surgery, Abby Sticker, one of the veterinarians who treated Roam, said during a Wednesday news conference.
Sticker said Roam received multiple blood transfusions for hemorrhaging.
As of Friday, Roam was in stable condition and expected to survive, said Caitlin Ford Blanco, a Colorado Springs Police Department spokesperson. Sticker said recovery would require multiple days at the animal hospital.
Bryant was tased and struck with a chemical irritant before being arrested. Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez said during the news conference Bryant would be charged with burglary, obstruction, resisting arrest and attempted felony aggravated cruelty to law enforcement animals.
Those charges would be elevated if Roam dies from his injuries, El Paso County District Attorney Michael Allen said during the news conference. At that point, Bryant would be facing a Class 4 felony, Allen said, which in Colorado carries a sentence of two to six years in prison.
The police department’s homicide unit is leading the investigation. As of Friday, Bryant was being held on a $500,000 bond, and his court date was set for Oct. 27, according to county booking information.
K-9 Roam was the department’s first certified gun detection dog, trained to find concealed firearms and ammunition.
When asked by a reporter Wednesday why Roam wasn’t wearing a stab-proof vest during the incident, Vasquez said he was too young for one. K-9s start wearing vests at 20 months old, otherwise they do not fit appropriately, he said. Roam is 18 months old.
Nikki Wentling is a senior editor at Military Times. She’s reported on veterans and military communities for nearly a decade and has also covered technology, politics, health care and crime. Her work has earned multiple honors from the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, the Arkansas Associated Press Managing Editors and others.
Read the full article here
