A San Diego sheriff’s K-9 was brutally stabbed in the face by a suspected burglar in Escondido Saturday.

The Sheriff’s K-9 Unit team was assisting the Escondido Police Department with an ongoing burglary at a business just before 12:30 a.m.

The suspect, 35-year-old Eric Rodriguez, held a large stick and threw objects at responding Escondido police officers. Cops tried to de-escalate the situation, but Rodriguez ignored all warnings and refused to comply, authorities said.

Officers then deployed the sheriff’s K-9 — a six-year-old Belgian Malinois named Nike — to apprehend the suspect, but Rodriguez responded by mercilessly stabbing Nike several…

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