The police dog was released from emergency veterinary care while three officers were treated at a hospital and later released.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — A San Diego police K-9 and three officers suffered burn injuries Wednesday during an escalating confrontation inside a North Park business that ended when an officer shot a man who later died at a hospital, authorities said.
The injuries occurred after a morning disturbance call developed into a foot pursuit and standoff along the busy 30th Street corridor. Authorities said the man being pursued entered Adult Emporium carrying flammable liquid and a device capable of producing a flame. The encounter led to an emergency veterinary response for the police dog, hospital treatment for three officers and a separate investigation into the fatal police shooting.
Officers were initially called shortly after 9 a.m. to an area near El Cajon Boulevard and Oregon Street. San Diego County Sheriff’s Lt. Juan Marquez said officers found a man acting violently and breaking windows on vehicles with a metal object. The man ran from officers and entered the business on 30th Street, where authorities said he barricaded himself.
Police attempted to get the man to leave the business, but he refused, according to authorities. Officers later sent a police K-9 inside. Authorities said the man used the flame-producing device and flammable liquid against the dog, causing burns to its neck and hind legs. The K-9 was rushed to an emergency veterinary hospital for treatment.
The dog was released about three hours later, Marquez said. Initial accounts described the injuries as limited enough for the K-9 to leave veterinary care the same day. Authorities did not announce any long-term effects from the burns in the reports available Thursday.
Three officers also suffered burns to their hands during the response. Marquez said the officers were hurt while providing medical aid during the incident. All three were treated at a hospital and later released. Authorities had not publicly identified the officers or provided additional details about their injuries.
Police also used less-lethal bean-bag rounds as officers tried to control the confrontation, according to accounts released Wednesday. Authorities said the man continued to pose a threat involving the incendiary device. As he moved toward the front of the business with the device, one officer fired multiple rounds and struck him at least once.
Authorities said the man also caught fire at some point during the incident. Officers removed him from the business and attempted to provide medical assistance. Paramedics took him to a hospital, where he died shortly before noon. His identity had not been released in the available reports Thursday.
The emergency response shut down part of North Park for much of Wednesday. The 4000 block of 30th Street and a stretch of Polk Avenue between Kansas and Ohio streets were closed while investigators examined the scene. Police vehicles and emergency personnel remained in the area for hours before the roads reopened at about 8:30 p.m.
Several questions remained unanswered after the scene was cleared. Authorities had not confirmed whether other people had been inside the business before the confrontation, and the amount of fire or other damage inside had not been established. Officials also had not publicly announced a motive for the man’s actions.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department took over the investigation of the shooting under an agreement designed to have an outside law enforcement agency review shootings involving another local department’s officers. The circumstances of the shooting, the use of less-lethal force and the events that led to the injuries remain under investigation.
Author note: Last updated September 17, 2026.