Man pleads guilty to injuring Santa Ana police dog following high-speed chase
A Garden Grove man pleaded guilty Thursday to carjacking a woman and leading officers on a high-speed chase that ended when he was captured by a police dog that lost some of its teeth in the pursuit.
Antonio Padilla Jr., 38, was sentenced to 19 years and four months in state prison after pleading guilty to five felony counts, including carjacking, assault with a deadly weapon and assault on a police animal, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
The high-speed chase on Feb. 26, 2018, which was broadcast live by multiple television stations, came a week after Padilla was accused of accelerating toward a Garden Grove officer during a traffic stop.
Garden Grove police had tracked Padilla’s car to Santa Ana, and asked Santa Ana officers to help them in pulling him over. Instead, Padilla attempted to evade police by driving more than 60 mph on surface streets, running numerous stop signs and traffic lights, according to prosecutors.
At one point during the pursuit, Padilla exited his vehicle, dragged a woman and her brother out of an SUV and took off in the second vehicle.
The chase ended in Irvine, with Padilla trying to escape on foot after crashing into a raised curb. He was quickly brought down by a pursuing Santa Ana police dog, but continued to hit the canine while the animal held onto him.
The police dog – an 8-year-old Dutch shepherd named Puskas – lost several of his upper and lower teeth.
After medical treatment and some recovery time, Puskas was able to return to duty, having retained most of his canines and more powerful back teeth needed to do his job. Santa Ana Police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said Puskas is expected to retire in October.
“Our K-9s are invaluable assets to our law enforcement family, and it is due to the training and dedication of Puskas and his human partners that a dangerous criminal is off the streets and behind bars,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a written statement.