The sound of a K9 helped Thurston County Sheriff’s Office sergeants stop a fleeing suspect during a foot pursuit on Wednesday, Feb. 25.
Only, the sergeants didn’t have a K9 with them. One of the pursuing sergeants imitated a K9’s barking while the other sergeant shouted “you’re going to get bit” at the suspect.
The suspect soon fell and was taken into custody.
“The uncanny impersonation of our K9 unit has created quite a stir internally and is under investigation,” Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders joked in a social media post on Friday, adding that the department’s five actual K9s “have filed a formal grievance through their union, asserting that barking at suspects is work that has historically belonged solely to their bargaining unit, and they are unwilling to surrender that protected work without negotiating for additional treats.”
The suspect arrested Wednesday has not been identified by the sheriff’s office.
Sanders disclosed Thursday that he had stopped a motorcyclist for driving down the shoulder on Rich Road and riding without a helmet the week prior. The rider stated he just purchased the bike and was on his way home in Tumwater, according to Sanders.
“I opted to give the rider a break, and in exchange the rider agreed to have a friend bring his helmet to him before he finished his commute home,” Sanders wrote in a social media post.
