Canines are known for their insane bravery and for stepping in situations where humans can't. Sometimes those same moments push officers into impossible situations where they have to make split-second decisions to protect their loyal partners. But what happens when officers have to criminals to save their K-9 partner? >> Drop the gun. Drop the gun. >> Here are several moments when officers have had to criminals to save their K-9 partners. Starting with Jeremiah Gaver, who turned an encounter that could have ended peacefully into an awful standoff with the officer the moment he went AFTER A CANINE. >> KNIFE. KNIFE. >> DROP THE KNIFE. >> Drop the knife. >> DROP THE KNIFE. TASER. TASER. TASER. >> TASER. >> My dog. >> DROP IT. >> DROP IT. >> DROP IT. >> On January the 24th, 2024, just after midnight, Deputy Colton McConey spotted 37year-old Jeremiah Gaver near W Amity and Escal Road in Boise. The guy was wrapped in a tub holding something in his hand and lurking around closed businesses. When McCone and his partner tried to make contact, things went south so fast that they needed all the help that they could get, even from their four-legged partner. Hey, what's your name? Hey, put it down. Put it down. What do you got in your hand? >> Put your hands out. Hey, put your hands out. Okay, >> we need to talk for a second because you were looking in fences. I just want to talk to you. It's a midnight. Do you have anything in your hands? >> I understand that. So, if you're not doing anything, we'll get out of your way. Okay. What? No, no, no. We need to talk first. What's in your hand? I know that. What's in your hand? Okay. >> What's that? as well. >> Well, I want to get to that real quick. Okay. >> You've already >> What's your name, man? >> Hey, don't make this into something big. Okay. >> I'm not stalking you. I'm trying to figure out what's going on. It's It's midnight. You're looking over fences. You're walking around a business. I just want to talk to you. Okay. What's that? What's your name? Okay. Well, we'll get there. What's your name? What is your name? If everything's fine with you, we will leave. I need to talk to you for a minute, though. Okay. What's that? Okay. Hey, if that's it, then we'll get out of your way. Okay. But I need to to talk to you for a minute. And while I do that, can you put that stuff down? And then if can I just tell your name so we could just have an adult conversation, please? Can you take a seat and chat with us, please? And take your hand out of your heart. >> I know, but you're making me nervous not showing me your hands. >> What? >> Okay. >> And I don't know what you have. I don't know what you have. >> Okay, please show me your hands. >> What? What? What is in your hand? Take your hand out. Empty your hand and take it out. Okay. Stop fiddling around under the tarp. Hey, Mike. You got Stop. What is under? What are you grabbing? >> All right. Have we given Is he under detention? Is that clear? >> Detained. >> All right. Hey, man. This is the sheriff's office. You are detained. You're not free to go. Okay. Doesn't mean you're going to go to jail, but you need to stop moving towards us and take your hand out of your pocket. >> Stop. >> What are you trying to do? >> Take a seat. >> You hear the selfcoming call right now? >> We're not If you listen to us, just take a seat. Empty your hands and we'll go from there. You understand? Take a seat. I You might have a lot of stuff under there. We don't know what it is. >> Get out of here. We can do whatever we need. >> Start by sitting down. >> Hey, right on the curb there, man. That's great. Hey, right there. Awesome, dude. We appreciate that. >> You can clear me from my show and clear the unit. >> Now, now take your tarp off. >> Wait a minute. >> Take the tarp off so we can see underneath. Do you understand? on me. >> I don't know what that thing that stick is in his back either. >> I don't either. >> Hey man. Hey, my name's John. Hey, stop. >> That's cool. Hey, my name's Johnny. Man, can you just show me your right hand, >> please? >> That's really all I'm caring about at this second. How about that? And can you take it out of the tarp and leave it there? >> Take it out of the tarp and leave it there. That's what's making us nervous, man. Okay. >> I I get, man. Hey, everyone's nervous right now, man. Okay, but I need you to stop digging around >> cuz I don't want to hit you with this bean bag gun. This is your last warning to comply with command. >> The officers just wanted to wrap things up and call it a night. But Gaba clearly had other plans. What he didn't realize was that they had the perfect partner for handling his kind of crazy. >> Put your hands up from underneath the tarp and comply with deputy's commands now. Bean bag. Bean bag. Bean bag. Do it. Kill him. Kill him. >> Watch out, J. WATCH OUT. >> KNIFE. KNIFE. KNIFE. KNIFE. >> DROP THE KNIFE. >> DROP THE KNIFE. >> DROP THE KNIFE. >> DROP THE KNIFE. BEAN BAG. BEAN BAG. BEAN BAG OUT. BEAN BAG OUT. HEY. HEY. >> HEY. CROSSFIRE. CROSSFIRE. CROSS. >> CROSSFIRE. >> Drop it. >> HEY, DROP THE KNIFE. >> STOP. STOP. >> Drop the knife. Now you're under rat. >> Car. >> Drop the knife. >> Drop the knife. >> Drop it. >> Drop the knife. You're rest Cross. Let's cross. Watch cross. Taser. Taser. Stop. While Gabber was still treating it like a joke, the officers had already moved to plan B. >> Hey, watch your distance. Watch your distance. >> Hey, get some for taser. >> Hey, stop. >> Taser. STOP WITH MY DOG. >> DROP IT. DROP IT. DROP >> in here. >> In the end, the deputies tried to give Gaba medical aid, but he was pronounced deceased at the scene. K9 Astrid and K9 Meco were both badly injured and were rushed to an animal hospital. After tough recoveries and plenty of care, both dogs eventually returned to the force. Jeremiah might have danced on the edge, but Matthew Hovatter built a whole stage there. He was wanted for carjacking, but refused to surrender. And when he got cornered, he turned on the canine that chased him, only to learn the hard way. Police canine, you're going TO GET BIT. STOP RUNNING. 50. >> DROP IT. DROP IT HERE. >> On April 27th, 2021, at around 8:43 p.m., officers spotted a stolen car tearing down Highway 58. They turned on the lights and sirens, but the driver wasn't the type of guy to simply pull over. Within seconds, it turned into a high-speed chase, and the officers had to call dispatch for the next move. 3 clear channel. We have a fair call 33 channel one. Call 33 channel one. Location >> here eastbound 58 coming up to Mount Vernon. No traffic, no speeds at 80. >> Copy. Speeds at 80. >> Can you copy King Mary 6 Henry yellow? Copy. What's offense? King 14 is 10851 2000 Chevy Silverado. >> The driver got more agitated and drove into the night attempting to climb an embankment but ended up crashing through a chainlink fence before the car finally refused to work. But he wasn't done. He jumped out and ran into the night. Backup moved in fast. Air1, the Kern County Sheriff's helicopter, locked its spotlight on him and guided around units to a house on Phil's Drive, where an unusual and very unfortunate encounter was about to unfold. >> Police, K9, you're going to get bit. Stop running. >> Here, here, here. Go go go go go. >> DROP IT. DROP IT. HERE. >> Drop the gun. >> Drop the gun. >> DROP THE GUN. >> DROP THE GUN NOW. >> DROP THE GUN. >> DROP THE GUN NOW. >> HEY, stay on him. I got him. I'll stay on him. >> His fingers on the trigger. >> I got him. Don't [ __ ] move. >> Come on for information. >> The suspect was identified as 30-year-old Matthew Hovatter who passed on at the scene after opening fire on officers. K9 Django, a 7-year-old Belgian Malaninoi who had served with the Bakersfield police for 6 years, was also struck by gunfire and later succumbed to his injuries. Next up is a moment that a routine dispatch led officer Scott Jay and his K-9 partner Figgor into a well-marked ambush by an armed suspect with pure malice in his heart. I'm hit. I'm hit. >> I'm hit. My partner's hit. Figure. Come on, buddy. >> On April the 28th, 2023, at around 2 a.m., Senior Corporal Scott Jang and his partner Figgor responded to a shooting that left two people wounded inside a home in southeast Dallas. The officer and his K9 shared a strong bond. But that morning, their partnership was about to face a test neither of them saw coming, and perhaps their toughest test yet. [ __ ] >> I'm hit. I'm hit. I'm hit. >> Got fire. >> I'm hit. >> Figgor had locked onto the scent of the suspect. And even as bullets tore through the air, Figgor wouldn't break focus. He refused to abandon his target nor his handler and in the process went down injured just like every party in told. As the minutes dragged on and back up nowhere in sight, Jay remained focused, but it was a matter of time as he was losing body fluid just like his partner Figel. >> Suspect down. I'm hit. My partner's hit. Come in. >> I'm here. I'm crawling out. My partner's here. >> Come on. >> Come on, buddy. We got four down river down by that area. Everybody come here. for my dog. >> I need to put gun. >> Watch my dog. He'll bite you. Come on. >> Let me get my dog. Come on. >> Let me put my dog. Let me put that. Come on. Come on. Hold on. Let me get my dogs so I don't bite anybody. Pull up to the left. Pull up to the left. Pull up to the left. Let me get my dog. I got him. I got the suspect's down. J, sit down. Hey, >> come here. Sit down. Sit down. Come on. Come on. Right here. Right here. Right here. Sit down. >> He's down. He's down. He's under the ground. >> Hide and tight. Hide and tight. >> Watson, go. Go down there through that tree line right there. >> You're good, man. >> Get over there. >> Crank that down. You ready? >> Y got him. Get him. >> You got him. >> You got scissors. Who got scissors? >> Scissors. I got to light this one up now. >> Scissors. Scissors. >> Figure also. >> Hey, Figure is good. He's still >> I'm trying to get to you, J. I'm trying to get to you. >> Ke, we got him. We got to try to get on. >> You going? Hey, >> you're good, man. >> I think something's got me in the chest, too. >> No, you're good. >> I felt something. >> Hold on. Take the camera off. >> Relax, guys. Everybody calm down. Hold this. >> I hear him. >> You're good. You're good. You're good. >> Hey, man. Look, I'm going to stand you up. Reports later identified the suspect as 20-year-old Brian Casilius. By the time emergency responders arrived, Casilius was no more. But against all odds, both Officer Jay and his K-9 partner Figgor pulled through and eventually made a full recovery. Figgor and Officer Jay's encounter was a close call. But it was nothing compared to this tense standoff between Man and Beast, where any wrong move could have easily made the situation a national headline. >> Johnny, hands up. Something >> dropped the gun. >> On February the 5th, 2025, Sacramento's dispatch center picked up a strange call about a domestic dispute tangled in the ruins of a toxic love affair. with details so chilling they had to be heard straight from the caller. >> The emergency, please. >> Hi, I'm at the abandoned building by Old Sacramento. >> Which abandoned building? Do you know the address? >> Um, I don't know the address. It's the only one right here between um um Railard and [ __ ] old Sacramento. >> Okay. Do you know the cross street near Railard? >> I see. >> Okay. What's going on for a long time? You got me [ __ ] up. You're not coming home. Can you hear me? >> Yeah. >> Okay. What's going on? >> So, um, he started knifing me. He tried to me. >> Okay. I need you to tell me more of where you are cuz you're mapping near Jab. >> Does that sound right? >> Does that sound right? >> Huh? >> Are you near the Ice Street Bridge? >> Near Ice Street Bridge. >> Okay. Can you tell me more about what's happening? >> Um, he's had me and he threw a knife at me. Who? Uh this guy Johnny, >> do you know who he is? I mean, like are you cousin? Like he was my boyfriend, but he's like playing games. >> Okay. Did he hit you with the knife? >> My stay. He stole my stuff. He still held up from my house. Um yeah, he's just messed up situation. >> Is he still there? >> Yes. >> Okay. Does he still have the knife? Um >> no, he's there. Did it hit you? >> No, but he has my beauty gun. >> Okay. Well, officers are going to want to make sure you're okay. I just want to make sure you don't need an ambulance or anything like that. >> I need an ambulance. No, he just he has anyway. He just go to jail for his warrant. >> Do you know what warrant it is? >> Um for failure to register. >> Do you know his last name? >> Corda. You shouldn't did that to me. the fact he was going to find me instead. You don't do that to people. You don't steal people's steps. >> The details of the call hinted at a recipe for serious trouble, prompting officers to rush to the scene. But what greeted them on arrival was far worse than they expected. You better stop. Johnny, stop. I'm going to take you to the ground. >> STOP. DROP THE GUN. DROP IT. He's got a gun to his head. Johnny, stop. Johnny, stop. Hey people on the trailing his head. I can't tell if it could be any better or not. >> The water drink. No, >> I see him. >> He's still walking. >> He's running towards the water. >> Copy. Still walking northbound towards the water. We do have information. >> I don't know if there's BB gun. It just looks firearms. I don't see gun. under the water. We lost visual. >> The encounter took a dark turn when John suddenly pulled a firearm, but the officers were ready for it because they had come with a backup plan in case things went sideways. This is the Sacramento Police Department. Any and all pedestrians, we need you to come up to the bike trail with your hands up at this point. Sack PD K9 Johnny Belor, we know that you are hiding down there. We do not want to have to hurt you. We need you to come out with your hands up, nothing in your hand, and surrender. You are completely surrounded. Attention on the ground. Attention on the ground. This is the Sacramento Police Department. Johnny Belcorted, you are completely surrounded. We know that you are hiding down by the riverbed. We need you to come out with your hands up, nothing in your hands, and surrender peacefully. Sacramento Police Department K9 Johnny, if you decide to flee, we will send a dog. That dog will find you and that dog will bite you. We do not want to have to hurt you. Come out now. Surrender peacefully with your hands up in the air and walk up to the bike trail. Attention on the ground. This is the Sacramento Police Department. You need all pedestrians, including fisherman. We need you to come up to the bike trail at this point with your hands up. >> I think the only in the Oh, we got running. People are running. People are running on the island over there. >> Heal. Johnny, we see you. We'll send the guards. Hands up right now. >> Yep. >> Johnny, hands up. Johnny up. The standoff had hit a fragile stage, and any irrational move could turn it up into something fit for the 9:00 p.m. news. The officers knew that they had gone too far to turn back, just praying it wouldn't spiral any further out of control. >> Hey, hit your right. He's got a gun. He's got a gun. >> Chest heal. >> Everybody okay right here? >> Let me find some. I got blood. He's got one in the arm. land. >> No, get fire. >> They're on their way. >> That's uh >> No, I think it's just Doc by here. >> Okay, here. Anything else? >> I don't see any in his chest yet. I just got this one heavy squirter in his arm. >> Police used a bean bag round to bring Johnny Border down during the standoff. He was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, then booked into the Sacramento County main jail on charges of resisting arrest, assaulting a police canine, brandishing a fake gun, and an outstanding felony warrant. Investigators later confirmed that both weapons at the scene were replicas. Next, we head to Sacramento where Sanchez, a man that was clearly out for trouble, ran his truck into a police building. And when officers tried to contain him, he injured a K-9, leading to a tense showdown. >> HE MY DOG. MOVE. MOVE. MOVE. I NEED SOMEBODY TO GO. I NEED SOMEBODY TO GO WITH ME RIGHT NOW. I WILL. >> On September the 11th, 2023, just after dawn, a truck barreled through the security gate at the William J. Keiny Police Facility and left metal flying everywhere. Behind the wheel was 42-year-old Fernando Sanchez, a guy on a reckless mission no one could make sense of. Despite the troubling incident, Reno, a seasoned police dog built for confrontation, was deployed to tackle the suspect before he could do more damage. >> Unit, move your car. Move your car. >> Show your hands with them. Freedom. FREEDOM. HERE. FOX. >> SHOW US YOUR HANDS. >> Rumbling over there. >> 105. Stop fighting the dog. Stop fighting the dog. You're going to get YOUR ASS. >> SHOW YOUR HANDS. >> Get up. >> Heal. Heal. >> Where's he at? MOVE THE GATE. MOVE THE GATE. >> I have a long gun. >> Don't. >> He's right there. HE'S RIGHT THERE. >> HEAL. HE'S RIGHT THERE. >> REAL HEEL. HEAL. >> MY DOG. MOVE. MOVE. MOVE. I NEED SOMEBODY TO GO. I NEED SOMEBODY TO GO WITH ME RIGHT NOW. >> RIO CAR. WHAT DO YOU NEED? >> GET IN MY CAR. MY DOG'S HIT. MOVE. >> I NEED A FLASHLIGHT. Give me a flashlight. Somebody give me a flashlight. Down. Down. Down. Down. Down. Reno, down, boy. >> Where's the Where's the puncture wound? >> We need to find the wound. This has to go. >> Give me I need >> Hold his mouth on all the side. I need him to lay down. Hold on. Hold on. Shine the flashlight on him. Reno, you're okay. >> There's a towel in my front seat. Grab the towel. >> Lay down, buddy. >> This has to This will stop the bleeding. >> Find the hole. >> I need the towel. I need the towel. >> Find the hole. Somebody find the hole. Come on, Rio. Come here. I'll hold his muzzle. You reach for the hook. Okay. >> Exactly. Let's go. Go. Go. Go. I can't I I can't see. >> I'm sorry. I'm trying, buddy. I'm trying. >> Get him. Good. Get him. Good. >> Hold tight. >> I need a light. I I NEED TWO LIGHTS RIGHT HERE. WHAT A LIGHT. >> Don't worry about it. Don't worry about it. Don't worry about it. >> We need one. We need to call >> RIGHT HERE. RIGHT HERE. I I GOT IT. OKAY. HEY, HEY, LISTEN. LISTEN, hold on. >> I need you to stick with >> Do not leave. >> You are with All right. You are in THE BACK. >> YES, YOU ARE GOING TO DRIVE ME. >> You ready? >> I I got I got Okay. Sorry. Okay. Hey, somebody take this med kit. >> It's a dog med kit. I need it in the front seat. >> Hey, you're okay. You're okay. shirts. >> [ __ ] >> Hey, give me my flashlight. >> Even after being struck by a firearm, Sanchez managed to slip away. Not long after, he broke into a nearby home, attacked the owner with a metal pipe, and tried to steal their car. A brief manhunt followed, and 4 days later, on September the 15th, officers finally caught up with him. LAY ON YOUR STOMACH. >> I will help you. Please help me. >> Grab his arm. >> Everybody else. >> He's got his hand on his waistband. >> Here. >> Watch that. Watch that hand. >> WHERE IS YOUR HAND NOW? >> TASER. TASE HIM. TAS. >> TAS IT. >> Look for a gun. Look for a gun. >> Okay. I got his hand. I got his hand. He's reaching. Get your hand. Help me. >> Hold your hand behind your back. >> Ready? >> Get your hand behind your back. >> Go. >> I will chase you if you move. >> Just in case we have to do an area check. >> Searching. I got your back. >> Searching. I'll get it going. >> He's hit. >> Three fire. >> Three fire. >> Three fire. >> I know you're preoccupied. >> Yes. >> Let me get some gloves. Stand by. >> Hold this. >> Got him. Got him. He already got his blood on me. Yeah. Roll side. >> Start searching him. >> Okay. All right. He's got singles through and through to the upper thigh. >> Uh, put some buzz on. Put the pressure on it. >> Just hold it. Use his uh, use his underwear. >> Need a gun. Get a tourniquet going. It's really, really high though. >> You're not going to use [ __ ] >> He searched. He's clear. Did you get his cargo pockets? >> No. >> All right, let's get those cargo pockets. I'll keep pressure. Yeah, I got what? You got wipes >> in my pocket. >> Pocket. I got wipes. >> Hey, you got clean hands? I got a bunch of wipes in my this pocket right here. >> Hang out there for me. >> Yeah, we need a statement from the homeowner here. Fernando Sanchez was booked into jail on September the 15th and charged with robbery, assault, attempted carjacking, and property damage. Meanwhile, K9 Reno pulled through his injuries and made a full recovery.