Evading suspect snuffed by K9
WOODLAND — A Merced man faces criminal charges and a few days of pain after allegedly leading Woodland police on a high-speed vehicle pursuit that ended Saturday with his apprehension by a police K-9.
Police Sgt. Steve Sexton said it all began shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday when an officer tried to pull over a reported stolen vehicle near County Road 98 and West Kentucky Avenue. The driver failed to yield, and instead rammed the truck through a gate at the end of Cherry Lane that led to a walnut orchard.
As backup units from the Woodland Police Department and Yolo County Sheriff’s Office joined the chase, the driver plowed through two barbed-wire fences before stopping the stolen pickup on Hanging Oak Lane and running into a field, Sexton said. Officers, including a K-9 unit, searched the area and found the suspect about 25 minutes later.
The man, later identified as 47-year-old Paul Allen Perez of Merced, refused orders to show himself to police, prompting the release of the K-9 to apprehend him, Sexton said. Perez sustained minor injuries from the dog and was treated at Woodland Memorial Hospital.
He was then lodged at the Yolo County Jail, where he faces charges including possession of a stolen vehicle, evading arrest in a reckless manner, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, driving on a suspended license, and possession of stolen property, Sexton said.
