A new video report released by the Pima Regional Critical Incident Team shows the chain of events that led to a Tucson police foot chase of a man armed with a knife that resulted in a police dog being stabbed and an officer’s gun going off during the arrest.
The incident started about 5:30 p.m. Aug. 20, when a woman called 911 saying she and her daughter were being followed by a man armed with a knife near Rudy Garcia Park, at South Nogales Highway and East Irvington Road.
While some officers stayed with the woman, Ronald Ray Alvarez, Jr., 21, was spotted at the Laos Transit Center nearby.
He soon started to run away from officers, including through traffic, the video shows.
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Police K-9 Kora was deployed, and the video shows the moment just before the police dog was stabbed in a parking lot. Kora has since returned to service.
The foot pursuit continued into the neighborhood.
The chase ended near South Seventh Avenue and West Oklahoma Street when Officer Alberto Moreno, a 16-year veteran of TPD, tackled Alvarez. During the struggle, Moreno’s department-issued weapon discharged, striking the ground nearby.
No one was wounded.
Alvarez was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. Two officers were also treated for minor injuries on the scene. Alvarez was later arrested on suspicion of felony disorderly conduct with a weapon and harming a work service animal.
The incident is still being investigated.
The multi-agency Pima Regional Critical Incident Team investigates local police shootings. Findings from its investigation will be sent to the Pima County Attorney’s Office for possible charges, which is standard procedure.
A separate internal probe is being conducted by the Tucson Police Department.
