EDMONTON -- A service dog is being praised as a good boy after helping take a man into custody during a break-in at a north Edmonton Tim Hortons.

At 2:14 a.m. Wednesday, PSD Bady and Cst. Damien Crockett were called to assist patrol officers with a break-and-enter at a Tim Hortons at 153 Avenue and 99 Street.

The coffee shop was closed with one employee inside at the time, and police say the man broke in by kicking the glass door until it shattered.

The man stole the employee's cellphone, and she ran into a backroom with the landline to call the police.

Police say the man tripped the building's breakers, cutting off all power to the building and ending the employee's 911 call.

When police arrived at the Tim Hortons, they searched the building and found the man had locked himself in a storage room.

"The suspect refused any negotiations for him to surrender and come out peacefully," said Sgt. Mike Garth, supervisor of the Canine Unit. "He then took a fire extinguisher that was in the storage room and started discharging it at our members under the door."

Sgt. Garth said when officers got into the locked room, the man continued to spray them with the fire extinguisher and police service dog (PSD) Bady helped subdue him.

"The dog can usually fight through any type of contamination that will happen, and he's going to use his nose to find him where we'll have to use our eyes."

The man has been charged with multiple break-and-enter offences, as well as assault on a police officer, and assault on a police dog, said Sgt. Garth.

The Edmonton Police Service Canine Unit praised PSD Bady Wednesday morning: "You can't come between a cop and his coffee!"

 

��������No matter the weather or the situation @edmontonpoliceservice is out there working! Tonight an individual broke...

Posted by Edmonton Police Canine Unit on Wednesday, January 20, 2021

"If there was no COVID, who knows what officers would've been at the Tim Hortons in the first place," joked Sgt. Garth.

Sgt. Garth has been with the canine unit for 10 years and works with an explosion detection dog. He and his colleagues usually respond to any calls "in progress" where a suspect may be hiding or fleeing.

"If they run away on foot, well the dog is going to track them. If they're hiding some place where they're going to be in a position of advantage, where can see us coming but we can't see them coming, and the efficiency of the dog, uses his nose to go find him," said Sgt. Garth.

The unit has 16 handlers, two sergeants that are in charge of the unit, as well as a staff sergeant.

Six of the police service dogs are cross-trained in drug detection, with a goal of cross-training all dogs, and the unit also has two explosive detection dogs.

But the question on everyone's mind? Did PSD Bady get a timbit as a reward?

"You know what? Probably not," said Sgt. Garth. "The dogs are on a strict diet, but I'm not sure about his handler."