CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- The Oceanside Police Department held a public memorial Monday for a service dog killed while trying to subdue a drunken-driving suspect at the end of a New Year's Eve police chase.

Monday's ceremony at Camp Pendleton honored Stryker, a 6-year-old Belgian Malinois who died after the man who led the pursuit allegedly picked him up and leaped off the Coronado Bridge.

The suspect, 27-year-old Cory Byron of Vista, survived, but the service dog died at the scene.

Oceanside Police Chief Frank McCoy told a crowd of several hundred people gathered for the ceremony at the North County Marine Corps base that Stryker and his handler, Officer Kedrick Sadler, were "a reliable and effective team taking on some of the toughest criminals in our city."

"Stryker performed well, and at times he had to tell Officer Sadler to keep up," McCoy said. "Their partnership was a joy to watch and was a source of pride to all who worked with them."

The dog's death prompted "an outpouring" of sympathy from the community, OPD public affairs Sgt. Kelan Poorman said.

Byron, who suffered a collapsed lung and other injuries in the 200-foot fall into San Diego Bay, faces a criminal charge over the animal's death. Byron's attorney told 10News he plans on meeting with his client this week to get Byron's side of the story.