K-9 Aksel is the newest Mt. Juliet Police Department K-9. He was injured in a patrol vehicle crash Wednesday April 23.

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Mt. Juliet PD

A Mt. Juliet (Tennessee) Police K-9 was seriously injured in a patrol vehicle crash Wednesday afternoon.

The department said in a Facebook release that Officer Reese Harper and his K-9 partner Aksel were responding to a “shooting in progress” call when the crash occurred.

Officer Harper was driving through an intersection with sirens and lights activated when a juvenile motorist drove into his vehicle. “The impact caused disabling damage and a loss of steering control, leading the patrol vehicle to strike the rear of a pickup truck that had safely pulled over to yield to the emergency vehicle,” the department said.

The officer was not injured in the crash. He got out through the passenger side door and checked on K-9 Aksel, discovering the dog had a serious leg injury, police say.

K-9 Aksel was transported to a local animal hospital, where his injury was stabilized before being transferred for emergency surgery at a specialized Middle Tennessee veterinary facility.

“Aksel is the department’s newest K-9 team member and has been excelling in his training. He was scheduled to undergo his official certifications next week, and his performance thus far had shown strong promise in his role with the department,” the release said.