Milwaukee man assaulted Racine deputies, K-9 bit him 3 times, sheriff says

RACINE, Wis. - A Milwaukee man pulled over for speeding on I-94 assaulted deputies and was bitten by a K-9 officer three times and tased five times before deputies could take him into custody. Sheriff's officials say he had drugs and a gun in his vehicle.

This all started around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 17 when deputies saw a Kia Soul going 91 in a 70 mph zone. Deputies pulled the driver over, and the vehicle was stopped on I-94 northbound near 7 Mile Road.

The driver, identified by sheriff's officials as Hezekiah Saffold, 24, of Milwaukee, had a backpack on his front passenger seat, which he grabbed and put in the back. A search of his criminal history revealed convictions for drugs, driving a stolen vehicle, armed robbery and obstructing an officer.

As Saffold stepped out of the vehicle so deputies could explain the citation to him, a K-9 alerted on the vehicle, indicating there were drugs inside. 

When asked to place his hands behind his back so he could be detained, sheriff's officials say Saffold ran toward his vehicle.

Saffold was then tackled by a deputy as the K-9 bit him. However, he was able to get up and ran into traffic in an attempt to get into his vehicle on the passenger side. A deputy was able to get in on the driver's side and turn off the vehicle.

At this point, sheriff's officials say Saffold tried to start the vehicle and place it in gear after getting over to the driver's side. The K-9 bit him again, and a Taser was used "without effect."

Sheriff's officials say Saffold assaulted deputies in his effort to escape. A Taser was deployed again, along with pepper spray. 

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The deputies were able to pull Saffold from the vehicle and force him to the ground, but he got up and kept fighting the deputies, officials said.

He was then bitten a third time by the K-9 and more pepper spray was used. 

A trooper showed up at the scene and used his Taser, but sheriff's officials say Saffold continued to fight the officer. In all, Saffold was tased five times. 

Additional deputies arrived, and they were able to "force" Saffold into handcuffs. 

A search of his vehicle revealed a Glock 19 9mm handgun with an extended magazine containing 25 rounds plus one round in the chamber, an empty magazine, cocaine, amphetamines, four cell phones and more than $1,000. 

Sheriff's officials said several deputies suffered scrapes and bruises, but there were no serious injuries.

Saffold was taken to the hospital to be medically cleared before he was taken to jail.