Tasered man dies in police custody, officer and police dog injured
A man who slashed a police officer and stabbed a police dog multiple times with scissors has died in custody after officers shot him with a Taser on Sunday.
Police were called to a Warana Avenue address in the Toowoomba suburb of Mount Lofty just before 7pm in response to reports of a break and enter.
A 32-year-old senior constable and his police dog Turbo were among the first officers on the scene.
The handler and his dog found a 31-year-old man and tried to arrest him.
The suspect lunged at the senior constable with a pair of scissors and slashed him across the face before stabbing him in the upper body, police said.
The suspect is then accused of stabbing police dog Turbo multiple times in the chest.
The senior constable used his Taser on the suspect to subdue him and he was then arrested.
While the suspect was being taken to hospital, he suffered a "medical episode". Resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful and he was declared dead at 8pm at St Vincent’s Hospital.
Police Dog Turbo was taken to a local vet where he remains in a serious but stable condition. His handler, the 32-year-old senior constable, was treated for minor stab wounds.
The state coroner has been advised and the Ethical Standards Command is investigating, with oversight from the Crime and Corruption Commission.
Toby Crockford is a breaking news reporter at the Brisbane Times