Face the Music
Est. Read Time: 10 Mins.
This story is a creative retelling based on secondhand accounts. While it strives to reflect the key events with accuracy, some details may differ from the exact occurrences. The views expressed are solely those of K9 Storm Inc. and do not necessarily represent the views or official policies of the Fort Collins Police Department.
The Encounter
The wind rustles through the trees as a man in a beige overcoat makes his way, briskly, toward an overcrowded bar district. With Thanksgiving celebrations having officially come and past, his college friends are dying to get back together to talk about, or rather, joke about, their families and what they did in their hometowns.
As he moves amongst the hustle and bustle of the area, his ears pick up the sound of something melodic cutting through the murmur of the impending crowd. With every step he takes, the music continues to crescendo in perfect harmony. He is drawn to it. Enthralled.
He turns down a side street and can now see where it is coming from; an upright piano, standing proudly on the interlocking patio stones of the town square. The piano is no longer waiting patiently for someone to play, the hammers inside have come alive on the untuned strings, calling out for everyone to gather around and listen.
What type of Goddess could be playing so magnificently? The Man in Beige ponders, the height of the piano obstructing his view. I must know.
He inches closer. With every step his heart pounds as he rounds the corner of the painted wooden instrument to stare directly at the musician. The Man in Beige’s pupils dilate in shock and confusion. Do my eyes deceive me?
Beauty of Old Town Square, Fort Collins, CO.
There, sitting on the bench in a trance like state, is not a beautiful or enchanting woman, but an unfortunately destitute and transient man. His head nods slowly to the music as his eyes stay shut.
Startled and not knowing what to say, the Man in Beige blurts out, “Wow! That sounds amazing!”
In an instant, the Piano Man’s fingers stop moving. An awkward silence befalls the two and the last vibrating string becomes still.
Without opening his eyes or looking down, the Piano Man takes his hands and slowly closes the lid. Like utensils scraping along a plate, a horrible screech emits from the cover as it drags roughly along the edge of the instrument until it bangs, loudly, against the case. The force from the enclosure rocks the strings inside and it lets out a dreadful jumble of disgustingly flat tones.
The Piano Man finally opens his eyes with a jolt. They are unfocused, emotionless, and devoid of feeling. Nervously, the Man in Beige begins to back up.
Now, sensing his presence, the Piano Man turns his head, counterclockwise, to stare directly at the source of movement. The wood bench squeals and squeaks under the pressure of his adjusting body until his head is at a 90-degree angle with his shoulder.
Get moving! The Man in Beige tells his legs, but for some reason they refuse to respond. Then, without warning, the Piano Man does something unexpected.
He smiles.
A great grinchy smile.
As his lips curl upwards, his eyebrows curl down, turning his lifeless expression into something more ominous.
“You interrupted me”, he says, annoyed. “And for that…”
The Man in Beige can now see two kitchen knives being held, simultaneously, on the Piano Man’s lap.
“I’m going to kill you.”
The Battle
Fort Collins, Colorado is a small college town located just about an hour north of Denver. Known to be the beer capital of the state, it is home to some of the most recognizable names in the industry such as craft beer stalwart Fat Tire, all the way to brewing giant Anheuser-Busch. One of the most popular areas in the city is Old Town. Lined with charming two-story brick buildings, potted flowers, and European style walkways, the area is the real-life inspiration for Disneyland’s Main Street USA.
Ofc. Barash and PSD Inox are waiting patiently among the Fort Collins Police Department’s SWAT team. Inox is a classic black and tan German Shepherd. Originally brought over from Hungary, Ofc. Barash and Inox have been an inseparable pair since 2016. They rely on each other to keep each other safe, and the two are far more than just partners. Together, they are family.
Pianos Around Town, a Fort Collins art initiative.
Earlier in the evening, a man playing an outdoor piano, one of many set up around town designed to increase culture and community, was reported making death threats to civilians while brandishing not one, but two knives. Upon first contact, the Fort Collins SWAT Team attempted to use less lethal force to subdue the man, but he fled the area and has now barricaded himself in a fire escape in the crowded bar district.
Standing above the SWAT team, he has taken himself hostage with both knives, which are now firmly crisscrossed against his own throat.
For 3 hours, the police have been trying everything in their power to get the Piano Man to come down safely from the fire escape, but nothing is working.
Dealing with mentally unstable suspects is one of the hardest calls that a police officer can attend. The suspects are erratic, irrational, and completely unpredictable. No matter how reasonable you are, it’s hard to get your point across when the person on the other end is hearing voices or seeing illusions. On one hand, you feel sad for the individual. For the waste of talent. You can’t help but wonder what they could have become if not for the narcotics that have taken over their body and transformed their mind into something they are not.
On the other hand, you still have a job to do. First and foremost, you are there to protect the public. Regardless of the reason or circumstance as to how an individual has gotten to a point in their life that has them dual wielding knives and threatening civilians in a bar district of a small mountain town, your obligation is to do whatever needs to be done for the public to be kept safe. This often means putting your own life on the line to defend people you’ve never even met.
With the Piano Man continuing to usher threats to himself and those around him, the SWAT team decides to try a different tactic. They plan to make a call out to see if they would be able to coax him away from his hiding spot. They highlight Ofc. Barash and PSD Inox so that the Piano Man can see them. The team gives a warning that Inox will be sent if the man does not drop his weapons.
“I’ll stab that dog to death or anyone else who tries to stop me. I’m not going anywhere.”, the Piano Man says without reluctance.
Now, here is the thing with using a police dog. There is not a department on this planet that would knowingly send a working dog in on a suicide mission. This man has made threats on the lives of just about everyone in a 5-block radius and clearly stated he would kill Inox too if given the chance. Besides being used as a decoy, the likelihood of Inox being deployed at this point is just about zero. It’s simply too dangerous.
Seconds pass. Then minutes. Then hours. It seems like the team is going to be outside forever until, inexplicably, the Piano Man starts to walk down from the fire escape.
“GIVE ME ROOM,” he shouts as he starts to move down the stairs with both knives still trained on his neck. Once on the ground, the Piano Man is instructed again to drop his weapons. He makes a motion as if he is going to surrender, when suddenly…
He takes off running.
Like something out of a video game, he sprints as fast as he can toward the packed bar district, both knives swinging wildly as he pumps his arms.
Armstrong Hotel Fire Escape. The packed bar district is just around the corner.
Ofc. Barash now has a gut-wrenching dilemma:
Suspect is fleeing. Suspect is armed and dangerous. Suspect is heading toward civilians.
Send the dog and knowingly risk his life. Don’t send the dog and knowingly risk a killing spree.
This is a massacre waiting to happen.
Am I close enough to take a shot? No, you would be firing directly into the crowd he is heading toward, risking the lives of those in proximity.
Can I fire a taser? No, he’s too far away for the prongs to even reach.
All these thoughts and more are processed in a microsecond. Ofc. Barash renders them down but is only left with one viable non-lethal option.
Inox.
Inox is the only one capable of catching the sprinting man before he reaches the crowd. Inox is the only one with a chance of subduing him before it’s too late.
Inox looks up frantically at Ofc. Barash and then swiftly back at the fleeing suspect, begging to be sent. He knows exactly what he needs to do, and he knows it’s all up to him now.
Ofc. Barash gives one last look at Inox.
Should he stay or should he go? There is no more time for deliberation. Without further delay, he makes his decision.
Take ‘em.
PSD Inox’s photo ID.
As if watching a movie unfold in slow motion, a cloud of dust kicks up as Inox’s paws turn over in rapid succession. He accelerates and his powerful legs give chase to the Piano Man who is now only steps away from reaching the closest group of people. The gap closes in seconds.
20 feet. 10 feet. 5.
Inox thinks back to his training. It all looks so familiar. He can run this take down in his sleep. It’s as if everything is playing back for him in three quarter time.
Tiny specs of drool wet the ground as Inox opens his mouth and soars toward his fleeing target. Within milliseconds, the saliva turns into a deep shade of scarlet, as he clamps down hard on the back of the Piano Man’s right arm. The force of his momentum spins them both around in a circle. Inox’s teeth are dug in tight.
This is the moment that everyone fears. The numbing caused by the mixture of drugs and alcohol in the Piano Man’s system has significantly decreased the normal physiological response to pain. He continues to clutch the knife in his left hand.
Without hesitation, he violently starts attacking Inox.
Once, twice, three times. He stabs him, repeatedly, with no regard for the dog’s life.
Inox snarls and continues to battle, refusing to let go. Given the angle that he is holding on, all the Piano Man can do is aim for the largest target area that there is: Inox’s body. He doesn’t realize that Inox’s Patrol Swat Vest is there to meet the challenge. He flails and attacks in every way possible, but nothing can get through the vest. Every extra second that Inox stays alive is another extra second that the officers have to chase down the suspect and react.
The knife is raised one more time when…
*BOOM*
With more force than a tackle from Von Miller, Ofc. Barash comes flying in and absolutely levels the Piano Man from behind. The three combatants go spilling face first unto the patio stones, sliding to a grinding halt. The rest of the SWAT team comes racing in only seconds behind, and piles on too.
Turtled up into a ball and with nowhere to run or hide, the suspect’s arms are finally able to be placed behind his back. The knives lay strewn on the cobblestones, unsuccessful in their attempt to murder, maim, or kill.
The Aftermath
Miraculously, neither Inox nor Ofc. Barash sustained any injuries during the apprehension. Inox’s Patrol Swat Vest defeated all the attempted attacks, leaving no cuts or puncture wounds anywhere on his body.
No matter how dangerous a situation is, dogs like Inox always choose to Storm Through Anything™. It is our moral obligation to protect them with the absolute best equipment possible to prevent stories like this from having a much different ending.
It is without question that the selfless and brave actions of both Inox and Ofc. Barash helped prevent a major incident from occurring in Fort Collins. But they are not the only selfless individuals in this story. Inox’s Patrol Swat Vest was directly donated by Kathy and Gary Geroy, a long time local Fort Collins couple nearly 5 years ago.
Ofc. Barash & Inox with his Patrol Swat Vest on display.
When interviewed by CBS Denver, Kathy said she wanted to cry tears of happiness after hearing the news that the vest they donated saved Inox’s life.
Inox and Ofc. Barash went back to work less than 24 hours later. Ready to face whatever challenges were placed in front of them next.
Ready, to face the music of the night, once again.