Three Vancouver police officers and a police dog were injured Thursday night in Yaletown when an arrest turned violent.
The team was called to 628 Kinghorne Mews at around 8:30 p.m. with a report that a suspect wanted on a warrant for assault and mischief was in the area.
A police canine handler and his dog, Shack, arrived on scene first and located a suspect near the seawall – who allegedly advanced on the officer and ignored his commands.
Const. Jana McGuinness says Shack was deployed while the officer called for cover.
"The man allegedly grabbed the dog's snout, and twisted it violently while pressing his thumbs into the dog's eyes causing him to yelp in pain," McGuinness said in a release.
The suspect also tried to hit the officer in the head, McGuinness said.
Additional officers arrived at the scene, but it took the group several minutes to get the suspect into handcuffs. He was eventually taken into custody, where he was treated for bite wounds to his arm and bruising.
Three of the officers were treated for bruises, cuts and hand and knee injuries sustained during the clash; Shack's health will be monitored for a few days.
Dean Rackahm, 49, has been charged with assaulting a peace officer and breach of undertaking. He also faces charges of assault causing bodily harm and trespass stemming from an incident on April 9.
He has a criminal record dating back to 1989, with multiple assault convictions, and police are requesting a mental health assessment for him.
