IMPD K-9 officer stabbed during burglary released from hospital
INDIANAPOLIS — The IMPD police dog who was seriously injured while going after an alleged burglary suspect walked out of the veterinarian’s office Tuesday afternoon.
K-9 Ringo’s road to recovery started after he was attacked and stabbed by burglary suspect Brandon Ramirez at Greene’s Auto and Truck Service on Friday.
“The injuries were very significant,” IMPD K-9 unit supervisor Lt. Melissa Moody said.
When K-9 Ringo’s handler released him to go after the suspect who refused to exit the business, he was allegedly stabbed 3 times by Ramirez with a large knife. Ringo was rushed to IndyVet in critical condition.
“The two doctors that worked on Ringo came in from their homes and I think he was in surgery for about 5 hours. I mean, they worked really hard to save his life,” said Moody.
Just 3 days later, Ringo walked out of the hospital with his handler.
“If you would have told me this Friday night, I would have been astounded that he’d be walking out, or being able to leave the vet’s office on Tuesday,” Moody added.
IMPD said this is just one of the dangers that K-9 officers face on the job.
“Any time we actively go in and look for people, we know that there’s an inherent risk, and we accept that and so do our partners, every day that we come into work. But this really brought it home, that it is a real reality for us,” said Moody.
Right now, there is no timeline for how long it will take for Ringo to fully recover. They don’t know if he will return to duty.
Ramirez was shot by police during the incident. IMPD says he is still in the hospital.
IMPD shared in a Tweet Tuesday pictures of Ringo’s release, promising to “spoil him with lots of belly rubs and treats once home.”