Sheriff Joe Lopinto said during a press conference that the incident began when U.S. Marshals attempted to serve arrest warrants on an individual wanted in Saint Charles and Saint Tammany parishes. The suspect briefly appeared at the back door of a residence but retreated and barricaded himself inside, WWLTV reports.
After hours of attempting to communicate with the suspect, the JPSO SWAT team deployed drones and robots to clear the structure before sending in officers. Macho, an 8-year-old Belgian Malinois trained specifically for SWAT operations, located the suspect hiding inside a box spring. The K-9 restrained the individual until deputies apprehended him
However, shortly after the arrest, Macho collapsed. Deputies, including his handler, administered CPR and transported him to an emergency veterinary clinic, but the K-9 was pronounced dead.
Sheriff Lopinto noted that Macho had been with the sheriff’s office for nearly seven years and was involved in over 200 deployments and 100 apprehensions. “He was a great dog for us, very well-trained and a vital member of our team,” Lopinto said.