FISHERS, Ind. (AP) -- Suburban Indianapolis police say a police dog was killed while tracking a suspected drunken driver in a wooded area.
Fishers police Sgt. Tom Weger tells The Indianapolis Star that officers were pursuing the motorist early Wednesday when the man stopped his vehicle and ran into a neighborhood just north of Indianapolis.
Officer Jarred Koopman and the 5-year-old Belgian Malinois, named Harlej (HAR'-lee), pursued the driver on foot. Koopman let the dog run ahead when the suspect disappeared into the woods.
Weger says Koopman heard what he believed was a gunshot moments later.
Officers arrested the man, who had a leg injury believed inflicted by the dog. Harlej was found dead nearby. Weger says Harlej likely died of a gunshot wound.
Police arrested a woman who was also in the vehicle.