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K-9 officer saves deputy’s life during ambush on dark Mississippi road

Posted at 9:49 AM, May 27, 2015
and last updated 2015-05-27 09:49:04-04

A Mississippi deputy who was attacked by three men is injured but alive after quick action by his K-9 officer.

Deputy Todd Frazier was driving on a deserted road during his night shift last week when he noticed a car at a rest stop in Pearlington, Mississippi, authorities said.

Thinking the lone man sitting in a blue Lincoln Town Car with the lights off needed help, he stopped.

That’s when his nightmare started.

While near the car, Frazier heard some activity coming from the woods as two other men dashed toward him, said Glenn Grannan, chief investigator with the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office.

“The deputy tripped and fell to the ground as he was backing away from the vehicle,” Grannan said. “That’s when all three male subjects, including the driver, ambushed him, cut him on the forehead with a sharp object and dragged him into the woods.”

During the struggle, Frazier hit a remote control device around his neck, which unlocked the backdoor of his patrol car, authorities said.

K-9 Officer Lucas, a black Belgian Malinois, sprung out. He bolted toward Frazier and bit one of the suspects, sending all three fleeing into the night, Grannan said.

Frazier suffered knife wounds, but he’s expected to recover, authorities said. Grannan said it’s unclear whether he was targeted because he is an officer.

The suspects fled in the car, which had big rims and an obscured license plate. They remain on the run.

Lucas did not suffer any injuries.