LAUREL - A Laurel police officer was forced to kill a K9 police dog Thursday morning after attempts to stop it from attacking a man failed. The dog was later identified as belonging to the Montana Highway Patrol.
Laurel Police Chief Stanley J Langve said in a press release the incident was first reported shortly after 8 a.m. when the agency received a call of a dog attack in progress in the 800 block of Wyoming Avenue.
An officer arrived and "observed a Belgian Malinois attacking an adult male. The Officer attempted multiple non-lethal methods to stop the attack and was assisted by the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department’s Chief who had arrived with a catch pole," the press release states.
The officer could not use his firearm to stop the attack without endangering the victim and public, the chief said. About 15 minutes after arriving on the scene, the officer "was forced to end the attack with two fatal blows to the animal’s head."
The victim was transported to a hospital by the Laurel Ambulance Service with serious but nonlife-threatening wounds.
The dog was identified as a Montana Highway Patrol K-9. The press release does not state if a Montana Highway Patrol trooper was at the scene or why the agency's dog was attacking the man.
MHP Lieutenant Colonel Kyle Hayter provided this statement to MTN shortly after 2 p.m. on Thursday:
“Our thoughts are with the victim and his family today. We wish him a speedy recovery. The Laurel Police Department is conducting the investigation into the incident. We will also conduct our own internal investigation."
