Washington K-9 Midas ends 40-minute standoff

Washington police released video of a K-9 Midas arrest after a suspected impaired driver refused to surrender during a 40-minute standoff in Vancouver. The footage, made public Thursday, shows officers turning to the police dog after repeated commands failed to get the man out of the vehicle.

Police said they first responded to multiple reports of a driver who appeared impaired, had passed out behind the wheel and was allegedly inhaling from compressed air cans while driving. Officers later found the vehicle and saw the driver continuing to inhale from a can as they tried to start a traffic stop. The driver refused to stop, and video shows the vehicle striking a curb, accelerating and nearly entering a yard while trying to get away.

Officials said the driver’s actions created an immediate hazard for everyone on the road. To end the chase, an officer used a Grappler device, which successfully stopped the vehicle. But when the car came to rest, the driver still would not follow repeated orders to exit, police said.

Officers then spent more than 40 minutes trying to bring the situation under control. Police said they communicated with the driver and considered several other options, including a 40 mm less-lethal launcher and pepper balls, before giving further warnings. Throughout the standoff, the driver kept inhaling from compressed air cans and continued to ignore commands to surrender.