Axel is back! Kennewick dog returns to help arrest suspect Saturday

Less than a day after getting attacked by a suspect, Kennewick’s police dog is back in action.

An officer spotted a man driving a truck that was recently reported stolen from Pasco heading east on Kennewick Avenue at 1:40 p.m., Kennewick police said.

When the officer signaled them to stop, James Whitney, 27, drove off, ending up parking his truck at an Albany Avenue home and running toward the golf course. After ordering him to stop several time, officer fired his Taser. While the contacts hit him, he was able to continue running.

That’s when officers called in Axel, the department’s police dog. The animal tracked him to an apartment building where Whitney had entered an unoccupied apartment and changed clothes.

He was booked into Benton County Jail on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle, eluding a pursuing police vehicle, residential burglary and resisting arrest.

A suspect during an hours-long standoff Saturday morning kicked the dog shortly before the Tri-City Regional SWAT Team pulled the suspect out.

This story was originally published October 14, 2017 at 3:32 PM with the headline "Axel is back! Kennewick dog returns to help arrest suspect Saturday."