Almando Abarca Sentenced to 10 Years for Shooting Police Dog, Officers

Almando Abarca, 26, of Palmer, Alaska, is headed to federal prison for 10 years after opening fire on law enforcement and executing a police dog during a violent 2016 highway standoff. Abarca, already a convicted felon, turned a high-speed chase into a lethal shootout, leaving one loyal K-9 dead and officers scrambling for cover.

The rampage began in September 2016 when Abarca fled from Palmer police at high speed toward Anchorage. At Mile 36 of the Glenn Highway, he slammed the vehicle to a halt, bolted out with a loaded handgun, and opened fire. By then, Palmer officers had been joined by an Alaska State Trooper and his K-9 partner, Helo. Abarca didn’t hesitate—he shot the dog multiple times and exchanged gunfire with responding officers.

Officers returned fire, wounding and disabling Abarca mid-attack. He was found clutching a .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun. While the officers escaped unharmed, Helo succumbed to his injuries. The canine’s death sparked outrage across the state—and a federal investigation led by ATF, the Palmer Police Department, and Alaska State Troopers.

In October 2016, a federal grand jury indicted Abarca for being a felon in possession of a firearm. That same month, a state grand jury hit him with two counts of attempted murder, two assault charges, and one felony count for destroying a police dog. Abarca pleaded guilty to the federal charge in October 2017 but fought the state charges at trial—only to be convicted on all counts in January 2018 by a state jury.

Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy M. Burgess handed down the maximum 10-year sentence allowed under federal law. He made it clear: Abarca dodged a far harsher punishment. The federal sentencing guidelines recommended much more. “You’re lucky to be alive,” Judge Burgess told Abarca in court, “and lucky that the court was limited as to the sentence which it could impose.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Bottini prosecuted the case. Abarca now awaits sentencing on the state charges while serving his federal term. Helo, the K-9 who gave his life in the line of duty, is remembered as a hero. His killer is paying the price—one decade at a time.