A man accused of stealing a car in Mountain View was apprehended Monday evening when he was tackled by a K-9 unit as he tried to run from the stopped vehicle, according to Anchorage police.
Roland H. Grace, 23, was taken into custody at the intersection of DeBarr Road and Boniface Parkway shortly after a report around 7:45 p.m. that "an occupied stolen vehicle" had been spotted at the Wal-Mart on DeBarr, police said in a statement.
Anchorage Police Department spokeswoman Renee Oistad said the takedown took place when officers blocked the car, a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu, with police vehicles. Grace then got out of the car's passenger-side door, ignoring commands from officers as well as a warning that a K-9 would be deployed, Oistad said.
"Roland exited the vehicle and ran through traffic to the opposite side of the intersection," Oistad wrote. "The K-9 was released and made contact with Roland's waist."
A video of the arrest posted to Facebook showed a man running west across Boniface on the north side of DeBarr. After being pounced on by the dog, he falls and skids to a halt at the northwest corner of the intersection.
The Malibu had been stolen shortly after 7 p.m. Monday outside the Michaels craft store at the Glenn Square shopping center, Oistad said. The theft was soon reported through the vehicle's OnStar assistance service.
"It was left outside running, and it had been stolen from the parking lot," Oistad said.
Medics evaluated Grace at the scene, but the dog's teeth didn't break his skin due to several clothing layers he was wearing at the time, Oistad said.
"There were some abrasions on his body," Oistad said. "There were no (signs of) penetration on the dog bite."
Another video of the takedown circulating on social media claimed that another suspect may have escaped from the vehicle as officers ran across the intersection; a police officer in that video is shown approaching the cameraman and asking where "the other guy" went. The cameraman says he didn't see anyone else exit the vehicle.
Oistad, however, said reports from the incident showed Grace as the only occupant of the vehicle when it was pulled over.
Police took Grace to the Anchorage Correctional Complex, where he was held on charges of first-degree vehicle theft and resisting arrest as well as outstanding warrants on burglary and escape. His bail was set at $10,000, with a court-approved third-party custodian required for his release.