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A Houston man accused of stabbing a police dog is on the run after fleeing from police who tried to question him regarding his father's disappearance.
Houston police said 26-year-old Ryan Mitchell Smith is a person of interest and should be considered a public threat.
"Given his previous charge and what we're looking at now, I think it goes without saying he has a tendency for violence," Houston Police Commander Kevin Deese said during a press conference aired on KTRK. "I would say he's considered to be dangerous, certainly."
Smith was arrested on Saturday morning in an attempted carjacking and allegedly stealing merchandise. KPRC reported that after fleeing the scene to a parking garage, police established a perimeter and released Nate, a Houston Police K-9. Smith was armed with a butcher knife and stabbed Nate multiple times.
Smith was arrested and charged with robbery, interference with a police service animal and evading arrest, the Associated Press reported. He was released after posting bail.
Police said that Nate lost a lot of blood and underwent surgery but is recovering at home.
Deese said family members became concerned after not hearing from Smith's father and that he uncharacteristically left his cellphone behind.
Officers searched the area and found nothing. However, Deese added that officers noticed the father's pickup at the scene and began to approach it when they saw Smith behind the wheel.
"Now, our units were in plain clothes, but they were able to follow him until we could get marked units in to attempt a traffic stop," Deese said.
Deese confirmed that it turned into a pursuit that ended when Smith crashed, then ran away on foot, evading arrest.
While police continued to search for Smith, Deese said, the homicide unit continued to search for Smith's father, finding his body in the garage.
"He was hidden in a location that made it very difficult for anybody to find him," Deese said.
Deese said it does not appear the father died from natural causes, but there were no signs of a struggle.
"Keep in mind, there was time for anybody to have made any adjustments to the residence, clean any evidence there could have been," Deese said.
KTRK reported that Smith works for a crime scene cleanup company.
Deese said that at the moment, Smith is charged only with evading arrest, but he could face more charges after his father's autopsy result comes back.
