Cop started barking like a dog after teen car theft suspects disappeared into the woods — and the chase took an unexpected turn
Officers frequently have to think outside the box to manage high-pressure moments. On August 18, 2023, deputies in Washington state were pursuing a group of teens suspected of stealing a car in University Place. The chase quickly turned into a foot pursuit when the suspects drove into a wooded area and disappeared. As reported by CBS News, one deputy used the unusual tactic of barking like a dog to get the teens to surrender. The moment was later shared under the handle @cbsnews on TikTok on September 5, 2023.
@cbsnews A group of teens suspected of stealing a car were being chased by authorities into a forest when one deputy used an unusual tactic that tricked them into surrendering: he barked like a dog. #crimetok #washingtonstate #tacoma #news ♬ original sound - cbsnews
The TikTok video showed the wooded area where the teens had fled, with barking audible in the background. The onscreen text read, “This sheriff deputy barked like a dog to get teen suspects to surrender,” and the caption explained the tactic worked perfectly. “Stop, police! Don’t make us release our K-9!” Deputy Jason Smith could be heard yelling. When the teens didn’t respond, he began barking like a police dog. He explained that he had first told them to surrender voluntarily, and when they didn’t respond, he decided to “let the dogs out.”
Sgt. Darren Moss Jr. later said, “The kids actually believed there was a dog, and, in the end, they told the deputies, ‘Man, soon as I heard that dog, I gave up,’” per the New York Post. Smith, with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department since 2001, said this was not the first time he had used his unusual skill. “I guess I have a unique skill of barking like one of our K9s,” he told Fox 26. “I don’t really practice it, and it’s not taught in the academy, but I use it on occasion.” He initially ordered the teens to come out and then threatened to release the K-9 before starting to bark. “You can hear the sticks and branches break down in the creek where they’re at, and then I just let it go and started barking,” Smith said.
The unusual approach quickly got the teens to surrender with their hands up. He recalled a previous situation where barking helped bring a woman into custody. She had refused to come out of her home after a warrant was issued. To make the scenario more convincing, Smith used a rake to mimic a dog jumping and scratching against the side of her house. The woman then stepped outside voluntarily, illustrating how creative tactics can resolve tense situations safely.
Even colleagues had given him odd looks, but Smith said, “It’s kind of cool; I didn’t think twice about doing it.” The car theft began just before 8:30 a.m. when deputies responded to a call near a cemetery on Chambers Creek Way. Stop sticks flattened four tires, but the four teens continued driving before abandoning the vehicle. Authorities later recovered the unoccupied car along Bridgeport Way and searched the surrounding woods, ending at a creek bed.
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