A routine traffic stop in Albuquerque's War Zone turned into a foot chase and a police dog bite on Thursday after 24-year-old Malakai Teller decided a tow was worse than running. Teller was pulled over by a motor officer who discovered his vehicle had suspended registration and no insurance, and when the officer told him his car would be towed, Teller bolted instead of waiting around.
According to ABQ RAW, Teller fled eastbound along Zuni Avenue near Moon, with officers in pursuit. His car was spike-stripped during the chase, and he eventually ditched the vehicle near Zuni Avenue and General Patch before taking off on foot toward the 9300 block of General Patch NE.
Officers Saturate the Area, K9 Unit Called In
APD officers saturated the surrounding area searching for Teller and established a perimeter once they saw him enter an automotive repair shop property, per the same account. The APD K9 unit responded to the scene and began clearing the properties one by one in search of him.
Loudspeaker announcements warned Teller about the impending K9 deployment before the dog was sent in, the outlet reported. The K9 ultimately located Teller and bit him, with the report noting he showed signs of resisting the dog since he was covered in blood afterward.
Fire Rescue Responds, Charges Pile Up
Albuquerque Fire Rescue checked Teller out at the scene and transported him to a local hospital, where the article reports he would most likely need several stitches. The extent of his injuries beyond that has not been detailed.
Teller was charged with aggravated fleeing law enforcement, along with having no driver's license, no vehicle registration and improper display of registration, the outlet reported. He was also found to have three felony warrants out for his arrest at the time of the stop.
Under New Mexico law, aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer is defined in state statute as willfully driving in a manner that endangers others while trying to elude police. The Albuquerque Police Department's own guidance on its canine unit, available through city records, states that K9 teams are on call 24 hours a day through Communications, and the department's annual use-of-force report notes that service dogs are deployed for building searches, tracking or area searches, and apprehension — the kind of operation that played out across the War Zone neighborhood.
