Wauconda police dog injured while helping apprehend man after foot chase

A Wauconda police dog was injured while helping apprehend a man who fled on foot following a traffic stop Tuesday, authorities said.

Around 5:50 p.m., a Wauconda police officer patrolling the area of Route 12 and Bonner Road received a FLOCK notification regarding a maroon Hyundai Elantra with Illinois registration. The alert identified the vehicle as being linked to organized crime and multiple retail thefts, police said.

The officer saw the vehicle traveling northbound on Route 12 and conducted a traffic stop near Case Road after noting unlawful window tints, police said.

The driver, identified as Carlos Bautista Figuera, was riding with a passenger who provided inconsistent personal information. When the officer attempted to verify the passenger’s identity, the person fled on foot toward Deacon’s Restaurant & Bar at the Golf Farm, police said.

During the pursuit, the officer observed the suspect reaching into his pocket and issued multiple warnings before deploying K9 officer Skye. The suspect kept fleeing, jumped a fence and entered a wooded area, police said.

Skye caught up and bit the suspect’s jacket, and the suspect hit the dog multiple times before the officer recalled Skye. A short time later, Skye was redeployed and the suspect kicked her in the head before fleeing the wooded area, police said.

The suspect was intercepted by another officer as the man left the wooded area and the two briefly struggled. The pursuing officer then deployed a Taser, subduing the suspect and taking him into custody, police said.

The suspect, identified as 27-year-old Jose Barico-Pena, was transported to First Appearance court and charged with two counts of injuring a police canine. He also was found to have multiple outstanding felony warrants, police said.