The Gift of Life
Est. Read Time: 9.5 Mins.
This story is a creative retelling based on secondhand accounts. While it strives to reflect the key events with accuracy, some details may differ from the exact occurrences. The views expressed are solely those of K9 Storm Inc. and do not necessarily represent the views or official positions of the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office.
The Call
It’s 2:00 am when a woman receives a call from her ex: a man with multiple outstanding warrants and a history of violence to match.
She tells him she’s sleeping, but he refuses to listen and demands to see her anyway. When she pleads with him not to come over, something inside him snaps.
“I’m willing to die tonight over this. You want to sleep? Good. I’m going to make you go to sleep for forever.”
The line goes dead. She calls 911. He’s on his way, and it’s now up to law enforcement to intervene before it’s too late.
***
A patrol unit in the area is dispatched immediately to check on the victim and intercept the suspect.
They win the race to the house, where they find the woman safe and unharmed.
Instinctively, the patrol unit begins canvassing the neighborhood, sensing the suspect is nearby. Sure enough, they spot a vehicle matching his description, driving erratically toward the victim’s house. When they activate their cruiser’s lights to initiate a traffic stop, the suspect floors it and flees from the residential area.
Suspect’s car stuck in the ditch off Highway 288
State Highway 288 cuts like a knife through the heart of Brazoria County between Freeport and Houston. During peak hours, it’s one of the busiest commuter routes in Southeast Texas, funneling traffic between coastal towns and the Houston metro area.
In a desperate attempt to evade capture, the suspect drives northbound in the southbound lane, directly into oncoming traffic. At speeds over 100 mph, he puts his own life and the lives of others in immediate danger.
The pursuit ends abruptly when the suspect hits a protrusion on the road, blowing a tire and swerving headfirst into a nearby waterlogged ditch. Miraculously, he’s uninjured from the crash. He stumbles out of the vehicle and books it into the pitch-black darkness of the unrelenting woods beside the road. Knowing that the suspect could be potentially armed, and that he was already known to be dangerous, the patrol team decides to set-up a perimeter around the woods to contain him, while waiting for the specialized K9 Unit and Drone Team to help assist in the man’s capture.
Deputy Mazzino & Apache - Brazoria CSO
The Scene
Apache is a quintessential Mal. Roughly 75 pounds and only 2 years of age, his coat is the perfect blend of light mahogany and black accents, with dark features on his muzzle and ears. He’s wearing a custom-fit coyote tan Patrol Swat Vest, delivered almost a year ago and worn on every call since. Apache has been on fire lately too, with every successful apprehension the bond between Apache and his handler, Deputy Mazzino, continues to grow exponentially.
Deputy Mazzino arrives at the scene of controlled chaos. He parks his cruiser near the others that are strewn about the shoulder of the highway and locates the suspect’s vehicle still stuck in the ditch with the tires spinning comically.
As Deputy Mazzino hooks up Apache’s leash in the back of the truck, he hears the whirl of the drone team launching their overwatch into the night sky. The Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office hopes that thermal imaging from above will help pinpoint the suspect’s location in the brush. With next to zero visibility, having eyes in the sky will help protect the handlers from a potential ambush by the hiding suspect.
Apache jumps out of the truck. Even in the early hours of the day, the oppressive Texas heat is already weighing on everyone. At roughly 83°F (28°C), no one is getting out of this adventure without a little sweat on their brow. Regardless of the weather, Deputy Mazzino is in high spirits this morning with an extra spring in his step. Apache seems like he can’t wait to get rolling either.
The drone swooshes over the trees, scanning the endless abyss of green below. Sure enough, a heat signature appears about 120 feet (36.5 m) into the brush. It’s clear where the suspect is hiding, but the dense canopy creates an umbrella of uncertainty around how he’s positioned and how best to extract him.
Deputy Mazzino starts by issuing a callout over the loudspeaker of his cruiser. His voice cuts through the ambient noise of the night, booming. When the sound settles amongst the trees, the hum of the crickets slowly ramps up. The suspect doesn’t make a peep.
It’s time to go in and get him.
With the drone team above, Apache leads the way, followed by Deputy Mazzino and the containment team.
Methodically, the group moves through the forest. The team intermittently shines their flashlights to help guide the way, but it’s disorienting; every step brings about a new obstacle. With the sun still hours from rising, the old adage about it being darkest before the dawn has never felt more true.
Apache leads the team through the woods, and they can see that they are gradually closing in on the suspect using the drone footage. Now roughly 15 feet (4.5 m) away, Deputy Mazzino issues his final warnings and callouts, but the suspect chooses to remain silent and still, hoping the team won’t find him hidden amongst the shadows. He is blissfully unaware that the drone already has his location painted perfectly.
10, 9, 8…
The team inches closer to the suspect, still unable to see him.
Now roughly 5 feet (1.5 m) away, Deputy Mazzino lets the leash run.
The cover team quickly flashes their lights, and finally the outline of the suspect is spotted. Apache locks in and charges forward to make the apprehension.
Deputy Mazzino braces, waiting to hear the familiar screech of pain that confirms Apache has latched on to the suspect and is now reeling him in.
But all he hears is several low heavy grunts. Short, sharp, full of breath, effort, and rage.
The team flashes their lights once more. The suspect has finally popped out of his hiding spot and is stabbing Apache in the spine with everything he’s got.
Apache doesn’t flinch. He continues his attempt to take down the assailant, but brush and bramble are surrounding him like a smoke screen. All that his jaws can chomp down on is a mixture of twigs and leaves due to the extreme density of the vegetation.
In a flash, Deputy Mezzino’s yanks back on the dew-soaked leash, creating space between Apache and the attacker. The support team now has their lights shining directly on the suspect. The man’s focus shifts toward Deputy Mezzino, and he lunges forward with the knife held high.
In a time of crisis, the brain can often feel more alert and latch on to something that we can make sense of and process. This usually centers around the five key senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, or touch.
In an environment saturated with all of them, Deputy Mazzino’s mental anchor came from an unexpected place. It wasn’t the heat. It wasn’t the fury-filled eyes of the man, the cover team yelling, or the sharp, metallic scent of gunpowder as the bullets flew.
In that one fleeting moment of total clarity, Deputy Mazzino focused on Apache…
…and how easy it was to hold him because of the handle on his vest.
Ofc. Foster’s Work Boots After Nate’s Stabbing
The 1%
“Ballistics? Nah... there’s like a 99% chance the dog’s gonna get shot or stabbed in the face anyway, so what’s the point?”
It was a throwaway comment; something casually tossed out by a trainer as Deputy Mezzino was just getting his feet wet in the world of K9. He and Apache were about to become the first team in Brazoria County. Deputy Mezzino was learning everything through trial by fire, and fast.
Then one day, during a cross-training exercise, Deputy Mezzino connected with a group of guys up Highway 288 in Houston. Their department was well established, with over 20 patrol K9s. They knew a thing or two about dealing with some of the most violent criminals in all of Texas.
Deputy Mezzino asked about their gear, specifically, their thoughts about working their dogs in ballistic vests in their red-hot home state.
The handlers didn’t hesitate with their answer.
It’s worth it.
A year earlier, a Houston Police Dog named Nate was stabbed multiple times by a murder suspect during a horrifically violent altercation. Blood was pouring out of him like a fountain. He suffered a nine-inch-deep knife wound, and several of his arteries were slashed wide open. Without a vest on at the time, the target areas were endless for the attacker and Nate was hit with absolutely everything.
His handler, Officer Foster, had previously undergone emergency medical training and was able to pack Nate’s wounds with medicated gauze to slow the bleeding. He was airlifted by helicopter to Texas A&M for immediate surgery, and by the grace of God, Nate miraculously survived. After several months of rehab, he made a full recovery and is still operational today for the Houston PD. He now goes to work every day with his very own K9 Storm Patrol Swat Vest.
When Deputy Mezzino arrived back at his own department after training with the boys in Houston, he told his boss what he wanted for Apache, and to the credit of the brass, they supported his decision with unequivocal backing.
The Aftermath
Deputy Mezzino exits the forest with Apache and returns to his cruiser.
He hoists him into the back of his truck and immediately strips off his vest to check him over. His hands move across Apache’s body for what feels like the thousandth time, searching for wounds and feeling for blood.
Apache stands upright, strong, stable, and completely unharmed. He presses his head against Deputy Mezzino’s chest, grateful for what he assumes are simple pets for a job well done.
That’s when the shock sets in.
Deputy Mezzino begins to grasp the gravity of what just happened.
And then, as the sky begins to lighten and a new day arises, he remembers why the air felt so different earlier this morning.
Today, is his birthday.