Richmond cop shoots department dog after being bitten

Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle A file photo of a police K-9 dog. A police officer in Richmond shot...

A Richmond police officer shot a department K-9 on Tuesday after the dog bit him, authorities said.

The shooting happened at police headquarters at 1701 Regatta Blvd. at 6:50 a.m. The officer was walking through the secured parking lot in street clothes, on his way to work, when he was set upon by the Belgian Malinois, said Richmond police Sgt. Nicole Abetkov.

The dog had been inside a Chevrolet patrol vehicle but somehow got out and attacked the officer, prompting him to shoot the dog once, Abetkov said. The dog’s handler was inside the police building at the time.

“The officer is going to be OK,” Abetkov said of the officer who was bitten.

The injured dog, which was trained to apprehend suspects and detect drugs, was taken to a Berkeley veterinary hospital and was reported to be in stable condition. The circumstances leading up to the incident are under investigation.

Henry K. Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: hlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @henryklee