Watch Police Dog's Flying Take-Down Of Carjacking Suspect

IRVINE, CA — A rush-hour car chase across Irvine left streets in chaos Monday evening. After a thirty-minute chase, a man fled the carjacked SUV he was driving and was tackled by a K-9 officer in Irvine.

The next day, Santa Ana police officers were waiting anxiously to hear about K-9 Officer Puskas, who lost all of his teeth, with the exception of canines during the arrest, according to Cpl. Anthony Bertagna.

Garden Grove police detectives had been actively seeking the 37-year-old parolee and Riverside resident who was arrested in during that dramatic take-down late Monday. Antonio Padilla Jr. was wanted for assault with a deadly weapon on an officer.

On Feb. 18, police said Padilla's truck was pulled over during a traffic stop in Santa Ana at noon. When a Santa Ana police officer tried to write Padilla a ticket he allegedly backed his truck up, almost striking the traffic officer, Garden Grove Police Lt. Carl Whitney said.

"Detectives who learned the Riverside resident was on parole and under active supervision began looking for his vehicle across Orange and Riverside counties," Whitney said.

On Monday at approximately 5 p.m. Padilla's 2016 GMC Sierra pickup truck was found in Santa Ana, and a wild cross-county pursuit began.

Padilla refused to pull over for arriving officers, as he drove the truck erratically through traffic on both freeways and city streets, Whitney said. Padilla was forced to change vehicles when his tires were flattened, and he allegedly carjacked an Audi SUV from a woman in Irvine and crashed, the Garden Grove Police Department reported.

NBC News helicopters showed live footage of the man forcibly pulling a woman from that car before speeding off again. The woman's brother, in an attempt to come to her aid, was nearly struck by the fleeing Audi. Minutes later, Padilla drove the Audi crashed over a curb at the intersection of Kelvin and Derian Avenues, according to Whitney.

By 6 p.m. the pursuit ended on Kelvin Avenue just beyond Jamboree Road when the suspect fled the vehicle and ran towards a business complex. He was chased down by K-9 police officer Puskas and was arrested.

Emergency responders arrived to the scene at just before 6 p.m. where he was attended by paramedics on scene, then taken to an area hospital. Padilla was released into police custody and booked at Orange County Jail on suspicion of numerous felonies, Whitney said.

Meanwhile, fans of the K-9 officer Puskas are awaiting news regarding his surgery and recovery.

Santa Ana Police Department Photo