Officers Stand Vigil Over Police Dog Knifed on Duty

Grim-faced Los Angeles police officers stood a sad vigil Friday night in West Los Angeles for one of their own--an 85-pound police dog that clung to life after allegedly being stabbed in the back of the head by a car theft suspect.

Marko, a 7-year-old German shepherd who has sniffed out criminals for five years for police, was in a coma and attached to a respirator at a West Los Angeles veterinary clinic.

The dog was apparently stabbed by the theft suspect after it tracked him down and found him hiding under the front porch of a house in the 1000 block of West 50th Place in South-Central Los Angeles about 8 p.m. Thursday.

Officer Sal Apodaca, who has been the dog’s handler since it joined the police K-9 unit in 1984, pulled Marko to safety when he found the animal lying in a pool of blood. A police helicopter rushed the pair to the clinic, where veterinary surgeons were standing by.

As Apodaca and other officers began their vigil at Marko’s side, a police SWAT team used tear gas to flush suspect Myra Wright, 27, from beneath the house, police said. Wright, whose address was not immediately known, was arrested on suspicion of felony auto theft and harming a police dog, Police Lt. Mike Hillmann said.

“Marko is not a human being, but he is about as close as you can get,” Hillmann said. “You’re talking about a relationship that is very close. These men and the animals are partners.”

At the West Los Angeles Veterinary Medical Group clinic, police officers stopped in all day Friday to check on Marko’s condition. Veterinarian Todd R. Tams held little hope for Marko’s recovery as Apodaca continued to stand by the animal’s side 24 hours after the attack. Fellow officers said Apodaca was too distraught to talk to a reporter.