Suspect in stabbing of Las Vegas police dog faces 7 felony counts
A man suspected of stabbing a Las Vegas police dog in the neck during a barricade Saturday morning faces seven felony counts, according to jail and court records.
Joseph Arquilla, 27, remained in custody Monday at the Clark County Detention Center on one count of mistreatment of a police animal and six counts of resisting an officer with a deadly weapon.
The Metropolitan Police Department patrol dog, Hunter, was resting at home as of Monday with his K-9 handler, officer Jeff Corbett. The Belgian Malinois, which has been with the department since 2012, was rushed into surgery Saturday morning.
Police said that just before 12:30 a.m. Saturday, Arquilla climbed onto the roof of a business near South Eastern Avenue and East Warm Springs Road. It wasn’t immediately clear why, although police at the time said he did not appear to be suicidal.
When officers arrived, Arquilla, who was apparently armed with a knife, refused to come down, prompting a request for assistance from Metro SWAT and K-9 units.
Hunter was stabbed in the neck multiple times while helping take Arquilla into custody, police said.
Arquilla does not appear to have any criminal history in Clark County, according to court records. He was expected in Las Vegas Justice Court on Tuesday morning for a status hearing in his case.
Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.
