Before you start sobbing, know that Hunter, the Belgian Malinois on duty when he was brutally stabbed 13 times, did, indeed, survive the wounds and is in recovery, cuddling with his handler.
Also, rest assured, the 27-year-old suspect, Joseph Arquilla, that Hunter was detaining when he sustained his injuries now faces seven felony counts, according to jail and court records. According to our Las Vegas criminal defense lawyers, he will now face a strenuous legal battle to answer to the charges against him.
What Led the Suspect to This Crime?
Joseph Arquilla was an armed suspect, threatening to harm Las Vegas police officers during an hours-long barricade. Metro had first encountered Arquilla after a 7-11 employee called 911 to report that a man was climbing on the roof of his business on South Eastern at 12:30 a.m., threatening to hurt himself.
Officers tried talking him down for four hours, but Arquilla refused to listen and threatened to hurt the officers. At 3 a.m., SWAT and K-9 units had arrived. After Arquilla climbed down, he refused to drop the knife. That’s when officers deployed a new 40 mm launcher system, a minor weapon that Metro began using this past summer.
The launcher uses air pressure to fire a rounded rubber tip projectile meant to incapacitate a suspect. The launcher did not affect Arquilla, so K-9 officer Jeff Corbett released Hunter. At that point, Hunter bit Arquilla’s left arm and held him until SWAT took him into custody – but not before sustaining 13 stab wounds to the neck.
Suspect in Custody
Regardless of the on-duty dogs’ toughness and determination, it’s still a sad story to hear that a dutiful pup has been injured by a rogue citizen. Joseph Arquilla remains held on a $100,000 bail in Clark County Detention Center. He faces one count of mistreatment of a police animal and six counts of resisting a public officer with the use of a deadly weapon.
K-9 Officer Rests With Handler
K-9 officer, Jason Dukes, had previously told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “We’ve had our dogs shot, stabbed, and they’re still fighting. We’ve had dogs hit in the head with crowbars, their skulls fractured in the middle of a fight, and the dog still holds on.”
Meanwhile, Hunter rests at home with Jeff Corbett, healing from surgery to treat his severe wounds. Hunter has been with Metro since 2012.