Man Accused Of Stabbing Police Canine In East County: Sheriff

EL CAJON, CA — An El Cajon man is accused of stabbing a police dog during a fight with police officers Wednesday afternoon, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

At about 5:16 p.m. Wednesday, El Cajon police received reports of a man slashing tires in the 200 block of Roanoke Avenue. An officer found the suspect and saw that he was armed with what appeared to be a six-inch steak knife. Police say that over two dozen vehicles on Roanoke Avenue were found to have slashed tires.

The officer followed the suspect and requested additional officers. Police say that the suspect charged at the officer with the knife, but then began running toward a high school campus. He refused to stop and officers used less lethal projectiles, but those were reportedly ineffective.

A K9 officer unleashed his dog, Jester. During the struggle, the suspect allegedly stabbed Jester in the head. Jester was transported to a nearby animal hospital with serious injuries.

The suspect, identified as 25-year-old Rani Alrais was transported to a nearby trauma center for bite injuries. When he’s released, he will be booked into San Diego County Jail on charges of assault on an officer, assault on a police K9, and vandalism.

Anyone with information about this incident should call the El Cajon Police Department at 619-579-3300, or anonymously at Crime Stoppers, 1-888-580-8477 or sdcrimestoppers.org.