A Palo Alto police dog helped officers in locating and arresting a man who allegedly burglarized a vacant commercial building in Palo Alto, according to a department press release.
On Sunday, Jan. 11, at about 3:20 p.m., a security guard patrolling a construction site on the 1600 block of California Avenue called police to report that someone had broken into one of the site's vacant buildings.
Officers found evidence that someone had forced entry into the locked construction site and had locked the building from inside, police said.
A police K-9 dog assisted the officers with the search and located Alexander Mabutas Handang, 41, hiding inside the building. Handang did not comply with the officers' commands and became combative when officers attempted to restrain him, police said. The K-9 bit Handang on his forearm, which helped officers take the man into custody.
Officers found a flashlight, gloves, bolt cutters and other burglary tools. Investigators believe Handang broke into the locked construction site to steal metal and wire.
Handang, a San Jose resident, was transported to a local hospital for treatment of the minor bite wound and a small abrasion to his face, which occurred during the struggle with officers.
He was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on charges of felony burglary, misdemeanor possession of burglary tools and misdemeanor resisting arrest.
Investigators do not believe this case is related to two other burglaries that took place in an adjacent property in December.
Anyone with information pertaining to this incident is asked to call the 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to 650-383-8984.
Comments
Crescent Park
on Jan 14, 2015 at 1:33 pm
on Jan 14, 2015 at 1:33 pm
Take a bite outta crime!
Midtown
on Jan 14, 2015 at 5:06 pm
on Jan 14, 2015 at 5:06 pm
Good dog!
Downtown North
on Jan 14, 2015 at 5:26 pm
on Jan 14, 2015 at 5:26 pm
Give the dog an extra treat!
Palo Alto Hills
on Jan 14, 2015 at 7:11 pm
on Jan 14, 2015 at 7:11 pm
Why would any of you people want a dog to attack someone . I don't care if the cops think its OK the guy was in a building ....not going very far when they have him surrounded. By allowing this treatment your allowing cops to get away with using excessive force. And police kill more people when the community allows this to happen. They left out that the fact is the building is vacant and being torn down. Not much a person can steal from a vacant probably contaminated structure. And dogs carry MRSA which the man will get because I'm sure since he was in custody he did not get proper medical treatment . So keep giving them the OK to use excessive force on people. It might be you they do it too next time. And if cops are not ablevto do there job like they have for all the hundred of years without dogs attack us
[Portion removed.]
Registered user
Duveneck/St. Francis
on Jan 14, 2015 at 7:46 pm
Registered user
on Jan 14, 2015 at 7:46 pm
Ummmmm den, you need to mello out brah. And then, reread the article. Pretty much everything you state came from your own wild imagination.
If you stick to facts instead of magical thinking other people might be persuaded to consider your thoughts. When you make statements that, at best, are truthiness, you'll just get laughed at.
Charleston Gardens
on Jan 15, 2015 at 9:13 am
on Jan 15, 2015 at 9:13 am
The criminal got combative, so he gets a bite.
Charleston Meadows
on Jan 15, 2015 at 10:38 am
on Jan 15, 2015 at 10:38 am
Great Den…the next time there is a break-in at at dark, isolated warehouse and the possible dangerous intruder is hiding inside the police can call you to go in and coax him out.
Greenmeadow
on Jan 15, 2015 at 11:00 am
on Jan 15, 2015 at 11:00 am
Phil Small, maybe Den could be schutzhund trained, too.
The dogs are trained to grab onto a padded sleeve and hold. However, considering their teeth, yes, they can puncture, since most perps don't wear bite suits.
Good dog!
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Jan 15, 2015 at 11:05 am
on Jan 15, 2015 at 11:05 am
As someone whose home was recently burglarized in PA, I now live in fear every day in my own home with my children. I'm thrilled the police caught this criminal. These criminals are professionals (note the section about the burglary tools, some of which the robber(s) used to enter my home). Residential homes, empty warehouses, whatever - the robbers don't care. They just want materials they can turn into cash. The police put their lives on the line every day for us. This police dog did his job. Zero sympathy for the criminal. Happy to have him off the street. Kudos to the police dog! Treats for K-9!
Mountain View
on Jan 15, 2015 at 11:22 am
on Jan 15, 2015 at 11:22 am
Den,
This is another criminal (yes, he's a trespasser for sure, and possible thief) resisting arrest. The police did NOT shoot him.
Instead of risking their own lives, and the necessity of shooting the criminal, they used a non-lethal alternative. K-9's are not trained to kill, just to restrain.
The guy could be dead. But he's not. Excessive force was avoided.
And could you PLEASE edit - your post is painful to read.
Crescent Park
on Jan 15, 2015 at 11:40 am
on Jan 15, 2015 at 11:40 am
Thanks PAPD.
>> A police K-9 dog assisted the officers with the search and located Alexander Mabutas Handang, 41, hiding inside the building. Handang did not comply with the officers' commands and became combative when officers attempted to restrain him, police said. The K-9 bit Handang on his forearm, which helped officers take the man into custody.
Handang was heard to yell ... your dog bit my hand, dang!
Evergreen Park
on Jan 15, 2015 at 12:26 pm
on Jan 15, 2015 at 12:26 pm
Sometimes punishment is meted out before a person is found guilty in court, which doesn't seem right, as in this dog bite. Why not use a taser?
Registered user
Midtown
on Jan 15, 2015 at 12:32 pm
Registered user
on Jan 15, 2015 at 12:32 pm
Its a very appropriate use of a police dog and achieved the desired result. This sad loser could have easily stepped forward as requested but chose not to. All told, a very good job by PAPD.
Midtown
on Jan 15, 2015 at 12:41 pm
on Jan 15, 2015 at 12:41 pm
Palo Alto Police -- and their dog -- did the right thing. I, for one, would lose no sleep over the dog biting the suspect and wouldn't even have worried if the suspect were shot.
Sorry to all those Palo Alto Pacifists out there, but those breaking the law should know and feel that there are consequences.
Palo Alto Hills
on Jan 15, 2015 at 3:48 pm
on Jan 15, 2015 at 3:48 pm
So what about the side of Alexander Handang ? What if he surrendered ... Did they yell out loud that if he don't come out they'll unleash the dog? Or a warning ? For a person to see an armd officer I think I would surrender now if they let go of the dog mo matter what even the person surrendered the dog stiill up to grab him that's sad how it is .....,,
Stanford
on Jan 15, 2015 at 3:50 pm
on Jan 15, 2015 at 3:50 pm
Great job, PAPD and police dog! Another bad guy off the streets.
Midtown
on Jan 15, 2015 at 4:15 pm
on Jan 15, 2015 at 4:15 pm
I can't believe anyone could possibly object to the dog biting the guy who was ordered to surrender to police and refused to do so. What were they supposed to do, stand by and passively let him go on his merry way?
Recently Robbed Resident: You are so right. This guy was stealing, I think, copper wire from an empty building. This stuff has great street value. The point is that the contents belong to the owner of the property. And I doubt if this was the first burglary this guy did. So getting him off the streets might have prevented him from breaking into my house or some other resident's house.
Mountain View
on Jan 15, 2015 at 4:55 pm
on Jan 15, 2015 at 4:55 pm
[Post removed.]
Crescent Park
on Jan 15, 2015 at 5:41 pm
on Jan 15, 2015 at 5:41 pm
Why not use a taser? Simple math - you have to be close to the criminal in order to get off a taser shot (and you have to have good aim). If the criminal is moving around, etc. - it becomes difficult to do this. And in close-quarters, there is a reasonable chance of tasing the wrong suspect.
The dog does more than just subdue the criminal...the dog can intimidate the criminal, the dog can sniff out/search for the criminal, the dog performs on command or stops on command, the officers don't have to be within 8 feet of the criminal to subdue the criminal with a dog, tasers have killed people in the past...K-9's don't have that kind of history. Tasers are good for 1 or 2 attempts - K-9's are good to go at all times. Dogs can chase down criminals faster than humans.
Don't want to be subdued by a K-9? Then be smart for once in your life and follow the police officer's orders.
Palo Verde
on Jan 16, 2015 at 11:10 am
on Jan 16, 2015 at 11:10 am
I've read Crescent Park Dad's comments on many different threads and always appreciate his straight-forward, level-headed, reality-based perspective. Thanks for continually injecting sanity in these online forums.
Truly Tasering HURTS and incapacitates fairly violently. Bring on the well trained professional dogs! Support our excellent, concientious police force.