A Leesburg man trying to evade a warrant was arrested after he reportedly struck an officer’s K9 partner while being apprehended.
Trayvious Markeivan Caruthers, 25, also had cocaine in his possession when he was arrested Friday evening. He was charged with possession of cocaine, resisting (obstruction without violence) and offense against police (canines).
Officers responded to the area of Baker Street and Faulkner Avenue after receiving a tip from an anonymous source about Caruthers’ whereabouts and clothing. Caruthers had active felony warrants out of Lake County for fleeing to elude a law enforcement officer and resisting an officer, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department.
Police started searching the area, and Caruthers tried to flee when he saw law enforcement. He ran in a northwestern direction through the yard of a residence on Crosby Street, the report said.
At that point, an officer was able to cut off Caruthers’ path of escape and he stopped running. The officer held him at taser point until additional officers arrived to assist with taking Caruthers into custody, according to the report.
As officers arrived, including a senior K9 officer, Caruthers was not obeying verbal commands. He once again tried to flee while the officer still had him at taser point, and the officer instinctively deployed his taser. One of the taser probes missed the mark because of Caruthers’ abrupt movements, while the other made contact with the left side of his head, the report said.
Caruthers was still trying to flee after the taser probes missed. The senior K9 officer then deployed his K9 apprehension partner. During this encounter, Caruthers battered the dog by striking him in the face at least twice. Still, the K9 was successful in apprehending Caruthers, according to the report.
A search was performed directly after Caruthers’ arrest, and officers found a small plastic bag containing a powdery rock-like substance in his right front pocket. This later tested positive for cocaine, the report said.
Caruthers was taken to the Lake County Jail after being cleared by UF Health. He was released after posting $6,000 bond.
