FALLBROOK, Calif. -- A man tried to break a police dog's neck in a tussle at the end of a short pursuit in Fallbrook Sunday, sheriff's deputies said.
Lt. Dave Schaller said a deputy responded to a report of a fight at around 2 a.m. Despite the deputy's attempts to stop him, the suspect drove off and a mile-long chase ensued.
The suspect, later identified as Felipe Cortez, stopped the car and ran into the moonlight.
Cortez, 22, was later found behind a wall at 534 W. Elder Street by a deputy canine handler.
He refused to surrender and the dog was set on him. After he was bit in the leg, Cortez hit the dog and tried to break its neck.
The dog was not injured, Schaller said.
The suspect was subdued and was arrested on suspicion of running from an officer and assaulting a police dog. He was booked at Vista Jail.
