Dec 31, 2007 11:36 pm US/Pacific
Man Jumps Off Bridge, Taking Police Dog With Him
SAN DIEGO (AP) ―
A man who led officers on a car chase was hospitalized Tuesday after jumping from the San Diego-Coronado Bridge and taking a police dog with him. The leap down 200 feet into the frigid ocean water killed the dog, authorities said.
The pursuit began Monday evening after an Oceanside police officer saw the man driving a GMC pickup erratically on a road. The officer, accompanied by a German shepherd named Stryker, ordered the driver to stop but he refused, California Highway Patrol Officer Larry Landeros said.
The man, whose name was not immediately released, led police on a chase through a section of Interstate 5 and onto the bridge, where he came to a stop. The officer released Stryker.
"The dog actually took the driver to the ground and then he actually lifted the dog up and jumped over the side," CHP Sgt. Steven Toth said.
The man was rescued from the water and taken to an area hospital, Toth said. His condition was not released. An after-hours call to a hospital representative was not immediately returned.
The dog was recovered from the water, Toth said.
(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
