NORTH PARK (KGTV) — SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Three officers and a police K-9 were injured, and a suspect is dead following an officer-involved shooting in North Park Wednesday morning, according to San Diego police.
SDPD officials confirmed three officers involved in the incident were treated for burns.
San Diego Police Department said they were called to the area near El Cajon Boulevard and Oregon Street just after 9 a.m., when they received calls for a disturbance of peace.
The San Diego Sheriff's Office has since taken over the investigation and said the man had a metal rod and was smashing car windows near El Cajon Blvd and Oregon Street. A total of four cars were reported to be vandalized.
When police spotted the suspect, they started chasing him. The suspect ran down to the intersection of 30th Street and Polk Ave, and into the Adult Emporium Business next to the Lazy Dog Cafe.
ABC 10News was there and began taking a cell-phone recording of what happened after the suspect ran inside the Adult Emporium store.
Police said the suspect was carrying a torch and flammable liquid as he entered the store.
An employee was seen exiting Adult Emporium. Officers began attempting to get the man to come outside the store, firing non-lethal warning rounds at the suspect.
Officers then sent in Ryder, their K-9 Unit, to get the man to come out. That's when police said the man burned the K-9 on its neck and around its face.
Three officers immediately used their hands to put the fire out on Ryder. They're now suffering from burn injuries on their hands. Once they were able to get the fire out on Ryder, they took him out to the car and returned to the entrance to provide backup to the other officers staying with the suspect.
Police deployed bean bag rounds, but the suspect then approached the officers, lighting himself on fire. That's when police shot him with deadly rounds.
The suspect was seen by ABC 10News reporter Dani Miskell coming out of the Adult Emporium with his leg partially on fire. Officers rendered aid to him, and he was taken in an ambulance minutes later. The suspect died at the hospital just before noon.
ABC 10News has still not confirmed the name of the suspect.
ABC 10News learned the K-9, named Ryder, was treated for burns to his face but was released from a veterinary hospital hours after the incident.
Ryder is expected to fully recover from his injuries, according to San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl, who was there when K-9 Ryder was discharged from the hospital.
"Our officers are out here protecting people, stepping into harm's way every single day," Wahl said. "It's the absolute least I can do to make sure they're okay in the hospital, and that goes for our K-9s as well."
Kristina Welsh, an emergency vet who has worked on K-9s before, added that recovery may be worse in the coming days as the burn wounds swell.
"Within a day or two it may evolve; we may see that the area [we] thought was localized could get bigger," Welsh said, emphasizing the need for recovery and rest.
Nearby neighbors who witnessed the action said they were concerned for their safety as it all unfolded Wednesday morning.
Jonah Gruber, one witness said, "There was a lot of yelling. [I heard] 'Drop the blowtorch, ' 'Come out with your hands up. I heard a warning shot. It was definitely scary. I haven't seen anything like that before. It only makes me worried as a resident living here anyone who has mental health issues or someone who is on some kind of drug can find a blowtorch and start burning people, or a dog. It makes me worried."
Gruber's girlfriend, Piper Whittington, also witnessed the events from her living room window where she was working. "I was like, what on earth is going on? We immediately ran back inside just because we felt it wasn't safe. I just moved here four months ago. It's wild that I'm seeing this."
