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Officer injured, his dog, suspect killed in standoff
Compiled from Times wires
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 21, 2001
BOYNTON BEACH -- A police officer suffered internal injuries and a burglary suspect and police dog died during a three-hour standoff Sunday that ended with a pharmacy in flames.
Gunfire broke out soon after Officer Robert Thomas and his dog Zeus entered the Medication Station early Sunday to investigate a reported burglary, police said.
A bullet struck Thomas' bulletproof vest, causing blunt-force injuries, including a bruised liver. Police demanded that the suspect surrender, but when they got no answer, officers threw in several tear gas grenades and waited.
The pharmacy caught fire when heat from the canisters ignited something in the store, said Boynton Beach Deputy Fire Marshal Bob Borden. Firefighters extinguished the blaze within 30 minutes, but the store was gutted.
The suspect and Zeus were both found dead. Thomas was listed in stable condition at Bethesda Memorial Hospital late Sunday.
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