Nearby News: 'My Chest Became Very Tight' Says Cop Stung By Yellow Jackets

Brookhaven police officer John Ritch described at a Tuesday press conference how he and his K-9 partner Grizz nearly died from venomous yellow jacket stings that impaired their breathing.

The pair were pursuing a suspect on foot in a wooded area off I-85 last month when Ritch and Grizz fell about 10 feet to the bottom of a hill after rocks broke loose. The shifting rocks freed a cavern of the stinging insects, he said.

“I immediately did not realize I was getting stung, because I was being stung so many times,” the Brookhaven police officer said. “I just knew something was in my eyes, my nose and my mouth. I was having difficulty breathing immediately, my chest became very tight.

“I looked over at Grizz and he was laid down in the vegetation, covered with yellow jackets in his ears, his nose, his eyes, and where his lips met.”

But the officers couldn’t turn and run, Ritch said, because the suspect was in the ravine with them. Other officers took control of the suspect, and Ritch and his partner got out. But Ritch’s airway was blocked by the time he reached a parking lot and he was having trouble breathing.

Ritch was swarmed by “hundreds, if not thousands, of yellow jackets” that flew into his clothing, nose, and mouth, Brookhaven Police Major Brandon Gurley previously told WSB-TV.

Suffering around 100 stings and showing signs of a severe allergic reaction, the officer was taken by police car to Grady Memorial Hospital. Grizz was treated at an emergency veterinary clinic in Sandy Springs, the Brookhaven Post reports.

Often having concealed nests, yellow jackets are known for being aggressive and predatory, stinging a perceived threat repeatedly with their barbed stingers. Even those like Ritch, who are not allergic to bee and wasp venom, will suffer a reaction if stung enough.

Officer Russell Chatham, who was stung while getting Ritch to the hospital, was also treated at the hospital and released.

»Brookhaven police officer John Ritch described at a Tuesday press conference how he and his K-9 partner Grizz nearly died from venomous yellow jacket stings. Screenshot from WSB TV