Slain San Jacinto Police Dog Sultan Remembered At Hemet Park

HEMET (CBSLA.com) — Riverside County residents turned out Saturday to remember Sultan, the San Jacinto police dog who died in the line of duty earlier this week.

Sultan was a 2-year-old shepherd mix who served with the San Jacinto Police Department since late 2013, and was the city's lone K-9 officer.

Sultan was shot and killed by an armed suspect after being sent into a crawl space during a lengthy standoff Wednesday night near Hemet, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. The 36-year-old suspect was later shot and killed by police.

The memorial was held Saturday afternoon at Gibbel Park in Hemet.

"It's devastating that such a wonderful animal, especially Sultan, he was a beautiful dog, just a beautiful spirit," event organizer Trevor Montgomery told KCAL9's Bobby Kaple on Saturday. "Young, still new in his career,  it's just devastating."

Kaple reported that Deputy Mark Wallace, who was Sultan's partner, did not attend the memorial because he is still grieving Sultan's death. A formal funeral service will be held for Sultan in the next few months.