Police K9 Recovering After Falling 30 Feet in Alpharetta

ALPHARETTA, GA -- It could be a month before an Alpharetta police K9 injured over the weekend after falling 30 feet during a foot chase can return to active service with his handler.

That's according to Alpharetta Department of Public Safety spokesperson George Gordon, who said K9 Mattis is recovering from injuries sustained in the fall during his pursuit of two suspects.

Gordon said Mattis will be out of service for a four-week period before he can return to work.

The incident unfolded Saturday, Oct. 8 when a patrol officer got behind a vehicle bearing a Florida license plate. Without any actions by the officer, Gordon said the vehicle suddenly "took off" and begin to drive away at a high rate of speed.

Some point during the chase, the two male suspects decided to jump out of the vehicle and flee on foot.

The suspects made their way behind a restaurant in the 4000 block of North Point Parkway near Old Milton Parkway, and unknowingly leaped off a 3o-foot wall.

K9 Mattis followed the men and actually landed on one of the suspects, Gordon told Patch. The four-legged officer remained on top of the suspect and once the man was apprehended, Mattis took off to find the other man police were after.

After the second suspect was captured, Mattis's handler began to notice signs that his partner was in trouble. Mattis was rushed into emergency surgery and was treated for severe internal bleeding, a lacerated liver and other issues related to the fall.

"He's going to be absolutely fine," Gordon said, adding the agency was pleased with the work done by the veterinary staff.

The two suspects, 26-year-old Enock Pierre Louis and 19-year-old Courtney Deran Blake, were taken into custody. Louis is charged with two counts of identity fraud, obstruction, financial transaction card theft and possession of a false or fraudulent identification.

Blake, who was the driver of the vehicle, was booked into the Fulton County Jail on charges of failure to obey a traffic signal, obstruction, fleeing and attempting to elude police, reckless driving and 12 counts of theft by receiving stolen property.

Gordon said the charges are likely to change, as authorities also uncovered 20 stolen cell phones that appear to have been taken from at least five cities. Officers will now work to return the stolen property to their rightful owners.

“This was a criminal team," he added. "These two have been traveling through many cities...committing these crimes. We are glad they were taken into custody.”

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Image via Alpharetta Department of Public Safety