On January 5th, Seattle Police were called to a burglary in Beacon Hill where a suspect was armed with a machete. Officers from both the South Precinct and the K9 Unit responded to the scene. Once on location, the suspect fled on foot with police following close behind. Body camera footage captured the officers ordering the male to drop his weapon for nearly two minutes during the foot chase. Once K9 Jedi was deployed to help take him into custody, the suspect stabbed the dog several times, and slashed his handler in the face before he was shot and killed. Jedi did not survive his wounds.
Jedi was one of the department's top-performing K9 officers. There are countless stories of the fearless pup’s tracks, searches and apprehensions during the five years that he proudly and heroically served the citizens of Seattle. Jedi's loyalty to his partner was pure, real and humbling. There is no question that the dog saved the life of his partner. “Born to love. Trained to serve. Loyal always.”
