SANTA BARBARA – A Santa Barbara police officer shot a dog attacking him during a scuffle with the knife-wielding owner.

Sgt. Lorenzo Duarte says officers responding to suicidal person call were confronted by 47-year-old Arthur David Lopez, who was holding a knife and challenging officers to shoot him.

A Taser stun gun was fired to subdue Lopez and one of his dogs, a boxer mix, attacked officers. The sergeant says one of the officers fired and wounded the dog, which survived with a grazing wound.

Lopez has arrested for brandishing a knife, resisting arrest and a parole violation.

Information from: Santa Barbara News-Press, www.newspress.com