At about 8:23pm Friday, Turlock Police responded to an assault and battery in progress at Village Fresh Market in the 2000 block of E. Canal Drive.
The caller had reported that a man later identified as Fernando Garcia, 36, of Turlock, had started hitting a customer inside the store. When the manager stepped in, Garcia began hitting him as well. Garcia had also been making others feel uncomfortable before the assault and was possibly trying to steal liquor.
Officer Jimenez arrived on scene and located Garcia after he had left the business and was walking near Old Vineyard Road and Tokay Avenue. She attempted to contact him, but he refused to comply and continued walking away from her, yelling, “fuck Turlock Police.”
Eventually, Garcia took a fighting stance at Jimenez and she put him at TASERpoint, yet he continued to be uncooperative.
Officer Conrad then arrived and deployed Canine Bjorn, who bit and grabbed ahold of Garcia. Garcia began picking up Bjorn by the neck, at which point Jimenez deployed her TASER on him.
Garcia was finally subdued and detained in handcuffs.
During the use of force, Garcia suffered a head injury. Turlock Fire and American Medical Response responded, transporting Garcia to Doctors Medical Center for treatment and medical clearance.
Afterward, Garcia was booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center on charges of attempting to deter or resist an executive officer in the performance of their duty by means of threat or violence and interfering with or obstructing a horse or dog being used by a peace officer in the discharge of their duties.
None of the involved officers or K9 Bjorn were injured during the incident.
K9 Bjorn joined the Turlock Police Department in April 2023 and was assigned to Officer Conrad. He’s a nearly two-year-old Belgian Malinois and his purchase was made possible through a donation from the Corson Foundation for Canine Speciality. Bjorn and the department’s two other dogs and their handlers train with the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office twice a month. Their training focuses on patrol skills, including apprehension, building searches, evidence searches, handler protection, narcotics detention, open area searches, scene security, and tracking.
Although Bjorn has had dozens of deployments since starting patrol work in June 2023, this was his first bite. The Turlock Police Department’s last canine bite was by K9 Ace in May 2021.
Last year, California lawmakers tried to pass a bill that would ban bites by police dogs altogether. Lawmakers have now changed the bill and are trying to make it so that a canine bite would equate to deadly force.
