Police cornered an intruder. Then he picked up a flagpole, California cops say

Police arrested a 34-year-old man in Redding on Monday, after they say he tried to break into a home, armed himself with a flagpole, and assaulted an officer and a police dog, according to a release from the Redding Police Department.

At about 6 a.m., a resident called 911 and told dispatchers an unknown man was breaking their home's windows and trying to get in, police said.

When police arrived, they found Ernak Altankov, identified as a transient, on the front deck of the home. Altankov wouldn't leave the deck, police said, and armed himself with a 4 foot-long wooden flagpole.

Police said they feared the home's residents or the officers could get hurt, so they used a Taser and a beanbag shotgun on Altankov. When those didn't work, officers deployed a police canine, Otto, who helped detain Altankov, police said.

However, police said Altankov assaulted both Otto and an officer while being arrested. The officer suffered minor injuries and the dog wasn't injured.

It was unclear whether Altankov attacked the officer or the dog with the flagpole.

Altankov was arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary, assault on a peace officer, assault on a police canine, vandalism and resisting arrest, police said. He was taken to the Shasta Regional Medical Center so he could receive treatment for his injuries before being taken to the Shasta County Jail, police said.

The Redding Record Searchlight reported that Altankov's mugshot wasn't available because he is in the hospital. The newspaper also reported that Altankov has previously been arrested in the area on suspicion of charges including driving under the influence, burglary, robbery and resisting arrest.

This story was originally published June 4, 2018 at 2:17 PM with the headline "Police cornered an intruder. Then he picked up a flagpole, California cops say."