SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) -Man's best friend helps him get away.
And now police are looking for the suspect and his dog.
Early Monday morning Brittni Anaphi arrived for her shift at a coffee shop along Foothills Drive in Salt Lake City.
"I came to work and there was this guy sleeping on our patio with a big pitbull on his lap," Anaphi told ABC 4 News. "I about freaked out."
She called police and wanted the man removed from the premises. But when police arrived it wasn't an easy order.
"All of a sudden there was a commotion and the dog started barking," says Anaphi.
Police say the suspect took off running and so did his pitbull. The police chased after the pair.
"When the police officer catches lup to the suspect and takes him to the ground the dog bites him severly on the arm," says Lt. Craig Gleason of Salt Lake City police.
The suspect got away but left his pitbull behind. The officer tasered the dog but it didn't appear to stop the dog.
"The dog is tasered and is shocked and runs away," says Lt. Gleason.
The chewed up officer was taken away for medical treatment. Police say they don't know if the dog was properly immunized. As a result the officer will have to go through a round of medical shots to make sure he is not exposed to rabies or any other disease.
"(The dog) appeared to be defending its master so I hope it's not a threat to the public," says Lt. Gleason.
