Heroic K-9 Thwarts Knifeman’s Rampage After Assault with Modified Cane

In a dramatic video, police deploy a K-9 unit to apprehend an armed suspect allegedly involved in a violent assault on a parking attendant in downtown San Diego.

The video captures a tense scene on the sidewalk, where officers surround a man holding a long wooden stick, suspected to be a piece of a broken cane used in the earlier incident.

The suspect appears agitated, ignoring repeated police commands to drop the weapon, while he paces within a loosely formed police boundary.

In an attempt to bring the situation under control, officers fire several nonlethal rounds, likely bean-bag or similar “less-lethal” projectiles, at the man.

Despite being struck at least three times, the suspect remains standing, still clutching the stick and defying police demands. The situation quickly intensifies.

At this point, officers release a K-9, which charges at the suspect and forcefully tackles him, knocking him off balance.

The dog latches onto the suspect’s arm as officers rush in, wrestling the man to the ground and placing him in custody, Fox San Diego reported. Authorities later identified him as 20-year-old Lathapoun Keovongsa.

According to the San Diego Police Department, the violent encounter stemmed from an earlier attack that unfolded around 3:42 p.m. Sunday near K Street and 13th Street, in a parking lot known as the Tailgate Padres Parking Lot.

Investigators say a 25-year-old parking attendant was sitting on an electrical box when Keovongsa allegedly approached and struck him twice in the head using a broken wooden cane handle.

The attack left the victim with two head lacerations. He was transported to UCSD Hospital, where he was treated for injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

Police later tracked Keovongsa down near Park Boulevard, where he was still armed — this time with what officers described as a roughly 6-foot wooden stick.

Officials said the suspect refused to comply with commands, prompting them to first deploy nonlethal force. When those efforts failed, the K-9 unit was sent in, ultimately bringing the chaotic confrontation to an end.

Keovongsa was bitten on the arm during the takedown before being taken into custody. The incident remains under investigation.

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