After a traffic stop on Foley Boulevard last year, the man shot at officers as he fled on foot. Blaine Officer Reginald Larson and his K-9 partner Rex were called in to help find the suspect. Rex tracked the man to a backyard where the suspect was hiding, apparently waiting to ambush police. They credit the dog with saving officers’ lives.
“Because Rex was sent into that backyard by himself he actually blew that guy up and disarmed him,” Officer Larson told the Blaine City Council. “While that gentleman was occupied with Rex on his leg, it gave us time to find where he was at. When we found him and lit him up he was able to find his gun and raise it toward us. That’s how I know that this dog saved my life that night and my partners.”
Police shot and killed the suspect.
For their actions, Rex and Officer Larson received a Medal of Valor from Anoka County and won the U.S. Police Canine Association Regional award for Patrol Case of the Year.
