Police Taser man who stabbed dog to death and then turned on officers

A 63-year-old man was shot with a Taser and arrested yesterday after he stabbed his dog to death then threatened officers with the weapon.

Police said the alarm was raised just after 6am when a woman reported a man was attacking his pet spaniel with a knife.

When officers arrived at the house on the Woodhouse Close estate in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, the dog was found dead from multiple stab wounds. The occupant refused to put down his knife.

Armed officers were called in. However, the man made threats to them and refused to obey their instructions, so they used a baton round and then Taser on him.

He was arrested on suspicion of affray, taken to Bishop Auckland Police Station and given a medical examination before being questioned.

Durham Police said no one else was in the house at the time and no officers or members of the public were injured.

The property remained cordoned off while inquiries continue.

"This man was clearly threatening officers and we were only able to arrest him after he was subject to a Taser discharge," Superintendent Graham Hall said.