Ax-Wielding Man Kills Police Dog During Altercation Outside Apartment

A man in Northwestern Europe seen waving an ax was shot after he killed a police dog during an altercation on Wednesday.

Police in the Netherlands wounded a Syrian man who tried to assault officers during an arrest at the suspect’s apartment in the Dutch city of Schiedam. The man was reportedly heard yelling "Allahu Akbar" during the attack, which translates to "God is greatest" in Arabic. There are no signs he had a religious or terrorist motive, local Mayor Cor Lamers told reporters on Thursday, according to Daily Mail.

Officers arrived on the scene after a concerned neighbor reported that the man was brandishing an ax on his balcony.

The shooting occurred when an officer tried to subdue the suspect, according to a police report. Authorities used a Taser, which was unsuccessful. The unidentified man, 26, then lunged at officers and stabbed a police dog inside the apartment. The canine later died because of its injuries.

The suspect was a Syrian man who had been living with his father in Schiedam since 2015, Dutch News reported. "The man was known to several help organizations but this was an escalation we had not seen coming," Schiedam Mayor Cor Lamers said in a statement to NU.

"He is a disturbed man with psychiatric problems. I don’t want to make light of what happened, because people in that position can be dangerous too," the mayor added.

Not much is known about the man as officials looked to gather further information regarding his identity and whether there was contact with outside organizations. "We are now going to look into our system what we know about this man," a police spokeswoman said.

The suspect was taken to a nearby hospital where his condition improved from critical to stable after surgery.