OCEANSIDE, Calif. (CNS) - Police identified a 43-year-old man armed with a machete who allegedly stabbed a police dog and broke a patrol vehicle's window in Oceanside.
About 5 p.m. Tuesday, an officer was inside a vehicle, stopped at a traffic light on College Boulevard and Plaza Drive, when he saw the suspect, Noomane Trabelsi, across the street yelling at him, according to Oceanside Police Department Public Information Officer Tom Bussey.
The suspect allegedly approached the vehicle swinging a machete and broke the driver's side window, Bussey said.
The officer suffered minor injuries and called for assistance. A perimeter was established, and the suspect was seen near the Mossy Nissan dealership, at 3535 College Blvd., and officers tried to make contact with him, according to Bussey.
Trabelsi went into a nearby ravine, prompting officers to deploy a police dog, according to Bussey.
Trabelsi allegedly stabbed the dog, named Chico, in his head and then stabbed himself multiple times in his stomach, Bussey said. Chico was taken to a veterinarian and is expected to recover, according to Bussey.
Officers, assisted by a San Diego County Sheriff's Department helicopter, searched for Trabelsi for two hours in tough terrain, according to Bussey.
Trabelsi was located, arrested and taken to Scripps La Jolla to be treated for the self-inflicted injuries, Bussey said.
