It Was Almost Man Bites Dog

Canine officer Faustus has done his share to take a bite out of crime. But this time, crime tried to bite back.

The police dog, a veteran of the San Diego Police Department, was back on the job Thursday after a battle with a suspect in which the suspect tried to bite the dog’s head, police said.

Police said Brandon Johns, 44, of San Diego, was stopped on Interstate 405 near Irvine Center Drive in Orange County shortly before 6 p.m. Wednesday on suspicion of driving solo in the car pool lane.

Noticing that he was sweating profusely, the California Highway Patrol motorcycle officer asked Johns to perform a field sobriety test, San Diego Patrolman Charles Ravencraft said. In the middle of the test, Johns allegedly bolted back to his truck and drove down the freeway.

Johns drove from Irvine to San Diego at 65 m.p.h., weaving between lanes and refusing to stop for the parade of flashing CHP units that trailed him closely, Ravencraft said.

Finally, he pulled off the freeway just south of downtown San Diego about 7:20 p.m. Six blocks away, he drove into an alley and crashed through a chain-link fence into the back yard of an acquaintance’s home, police said. When Johns fled the truck, police unleashed Faustus.

Faustus, a German shepherd, took a tight grip on Johns’ arm and held on. Police said Johns grabbed the dog in a headlock and was preparing to take a bite from the dog’s head when Officer Steve Sloan, the animal’s handler, arrived.

Johns was treated at nearby Harbor View Medical Center for bites on his arm and was booked on suspicion of evading arrest, driving under the influence of drugs and assault on a police dog.

Johns has been released on his own recognizance, Ravencraft said.