A police dog has had his left eye surgically removed after allegedly being attacked by a man with a knife in Gisborne last night.
Police say the man was cornered by an officer in a church. He allegedly lunged at the constable with the knife before fleeing.
He was contained a short distance away, and a dog handler called in.
As three-and-a-half year old Woolf and his handler approached the man, the dog was stabbed in the eye, police said.
The man then put down the knife when an armed officer instructed him to do so.
A 20cm chef's knife was found at the scene.
Police staff were not injured.
A 32-year-old man will appear in the Gisborne District court tomorrow on a number of charges.
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