Police Dog Beats Suspect to the Bite at the End of Chase From Irvine : Crime: Pursuit begins when CHP officer stops motorist and suspects impairment. The suspect bolts and is followed to San Diego--where Faustus’ teeth await.

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 Faustus caught a suspect who had led police on a chase from Irvine--and who tried to bite the dog’s head, police said.

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

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

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

Finally, he pulled off the freeway just south of downtown San Diego at about 7:20 p.m. Six blocks farther, 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 his truck, officers unleashed Faustus. The dog got a grip on Johns’ arm and held on. Police say Johns grabbed the German shepherd in a headlock and was preparing to bite the dog’s head when Officer Steve Sloan, the animal’s handler, arrived.

“Faustus’ handler said the guy’s mouth was open, and he was getting ready to chomp down, (Sloan) had absolutely no doubt about it,” said Dave Cohen, a San Diego police spokesman.

Johns was treated at nearby Harbor View Hospital for minor bite wounds on his arm and held on suspicion of evading arrest, driving under the influence of drugs and assault on a police dog.

The suspect has been released on his own recognizance, Ravencraft said.