The life of an Akron police officer may have been spared after a robbery suspect's gun misfired in Akron Tuesday morning.
According to police, 20-year-old Javon Spells, of Barberton, was on his bike just before noon when he approached a man in the area of Reed Avenue and Ava Street and pulled out a gun.
The 47-year-old man ran away uninjured and called police.
Officers were able to locate Spells near apartments off Rosemary Blvd a short time later.
As one of the officers approached Spells, he allegedly pulled out a .22 caliber pistol and tried to shoot, but the gun misfired.
"He pointed that gun at the officer. He knew he was a police officer and he pulled the trigger in an attempt to shoot the officer," said Captain Dan Zampelli. "Thankfully for our officer, the gun misfired. God was on our side yesterday."
Police continued to follow him into a wooded area and then spotted him near a plastics company on Kelly Avenue.
That's when Officer Darren McConnell released his K9, named Recon, to assist in the arrest.
"He hopped out of the car, took off after the guy and ended up biting him in the back of the leg and they both kind of tumbled on some landscaping rocks," McConnell said.
Recon bit Spells and held him until officers could take him into custody, his handler explained.
Spells is charged with felonious assault, aggravated robbery, assaulting a police dog, carrying a concealed weapon and having weapons under disability.
He was booked into the Summit County Jail.
