An early-morning patrol went from bad to worse for a northern Minnesota police officer who stopped a driver for a bad headlight early Wednesday.

According to documents filed in Clay County District Court:

Officer Brad Browning stopped a vehicle in Dilworth, just east of Fargo, for a nonworking headlight about 1:45 a.m. Checking on the driver, Stephen J. Hietala, 27, of Perham, Minn., Browning found Hietala had an active arrest warrant from Otter Tail County for an alleged assault on a peace officer.

Browning called for backup, and a Moorhead police officer arrived.

As the two officers tried to handcuff Hietala, the suspect resisted and the Moorhead officer attempted to stun him with a Taser.

But during the scuffle, Browning who was zapped by the Taser. Hietala fled. Browning and the Moorhead officer gave chase.

The two lost sight of Hietala, so they set up a perimeter and called for a Clay County police dog.

Officers found Hietala hiding between two garages, refusing to put up his hands, so the police dog was deployed.

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Hietala was ultimately subdued and booked into the Clay County Jail.

Browning needed six staples in his leg to close the dog bite, and he is taking time off to recover, Sharpe said.

Hietala faces six misdemeanor charges, including fleeing a peace officer, possessing a small amount of marijuana and obstructing the legal process. Court records did not list an attorney for him.