California Man Arrested For Stabbing Police Dog, Breaking Patrol Car Windshield With Machete

A California man was arrested after he smashed the windshield of a police patrol vehicle with a machete and stabbed a police dog in what authorities said was an unprovoked attack.

The incident happened Tuesday when an officer with the Oceanside Police Department was stuck in heavy traffic on College Drive, south of state Route 78. The suspect, identified as Noomane Trabelsi, 43, yelled at the officer from across the street before approaching his vehicle and breaking the driver’s side window with the machete, the police department stated in a news release.

The officer was struck by the shattered glass and suffered minor injuries, as per the news release.

After breaking the window of the police car, Trabelsi fled the scene on foot. Police launched a manhunt for the suspect and the county sheriff’s department sent a helicopter to assist in the search.

Authorities were able to spot Trabelsi on College Avenue after he stopped near a car dealership, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

Video footage documenting the arrest reportedly showed the assailant swinging his machete to keep the officers at bay. The officers deployed a K9 to take him down. When the dog pounced on his arm to deter him from swinging the machete, Trabelsi stabbed it in the head using a small knife, according to the publication.

The dog was taken to a veterinarian and is expected to survive, according to the news release.

Trabelsi also stabbed himself multiple times in the stomach, according to San Diego Union-Tribune. He was reportedly taken to a hospital to receive treatment for his injuries.

This comes after a Portland man was arrested in October for breaking the window of a police bureau patrol vehicle and spraying the interior with pepper spray while an officer was inside. The man, identified as John Russell, 41, approached the car and broke the rear side window of the vehicle in an unprovoked attack. The officer broadcast his description on the radio and the cops were able to nab him about six blocks away from the scene. Police found window-breaking tools, rocks, and other items inside his vehicle. Russell was charged with assaulting a public safety officer.