Suspect Bites Off Police Dog's Ear During SWAT Standoff Before Injured K9 Helps Officers Complete Arrest

A barricaded man bit through a police dog's ear and tore part of it away during a standoff in Los Angeles County, according to police, and the dog carried on working until the arrest was made.

K-9 Wouter, a police dog attached to the Redondo Beach Police Department, was sent into a residence in Wilmington where an armed, wanted man had barricaded himself and refused to come out.

The department disclosed the injury in a Facebook post on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, saying the suspect bit the dog and tore off a portion of his ear during the apprehension. Wouter continued assisting officers until the man was in custody.

What Happened in Wilmington

The dog belongs to a department several miles from where he was deployed. Redondo Beach police said Wouter assisted their SWAT team in Wilmington as officers worked to take a man described by police as a dangerous, wanted felon into custody, according to the department's account reported by KTLA.

The suspect had shut himself inside a residence. Police said he was armed and refused to surrender, prompting officers to deploy Wouter to assist in the apprehension.

The injury happened during the apprehension itself. Wouter was deployed to assist officers, and the suspect bit him and tore off part of his ear, the department said. Photographs released afterwards show the dog wearing a protective cone with the tip of one ear visibly missing.

Despite the injury, Wouter continued assisting officers, who safely took the man into custody, according to the department.

In a separate November 2025 case, an LAPD K-9 tracked down a man accused of shooting at a police helicopter after officers had negotiated with him for about four hours. Police had earlier exchanged gunfire with the suspect before he barricaded himself inside a home.

The Dog and His Handler

Wouter is a Dutch Shepherd serving with the Redondo Beach Police Department's K-9 team.

He was treated at a specialist facility. Wouter was taken to ACCESS Specialty Animal Hospital after the standoff and is recovering, with the department saying he is taking what it called a much-needed break.

The department's post was affectionate rather than procedural. Officers wrote that they were wishing their bestest boy a speedy recovery and wanted him to get all the scratchies and treats.

The department has released very little about the man at the centre of it. Redondo Beach police have not named him, said what felony he was wanted for, or explained what prompted the standoff in the first place.

The charges are also unclear. Police have not said what he was booked on following the arrest, nor whether he will face any additional count over the injury to the dog. California Penal Code §600 makes it a criminal offence to wilfully and maliciously, without legal justification, harm a police dog under an officer's supervision while the animal is performing official duties. It is not clear whether prosecutors will pursue a charge under that provision.

Nor has the department given a precise timeline. It has not disclosed exactly when or where in Wilmington the barricade took place, and has released no additional medical details about the extent of Wouter's injury or when he might return to duty.

The account of the incident has come almost entirely from the department itself. The Los Angeles Times noted that police provided no details about the suspect, including his identity or the reason for the initial standoff, and that it was not clear whether he would face any further charge over the bite.

The armed standoff ended with the suspect in custody and Wouter recovering from an injury that cost him part of his ear, after he continued assisting officers despite being bitten.