A Crystal police dog was the target of what appeared to be an attempted assault Saturday morning, officials said.

The K-9 officer, named Rocco, was in the back seat of a squad car in the Police Department's parking lot when someone threw a large brick through the back window of the car between 1:40 and 2:22 a.m.

Video surveillance shows a suspect entering the parking lot from the northeast corner and walking toward the K-9 squad car. The individual approached the vehicle quickly and threw the brick, smashing the back window of the car, a news release said.

Rocco, the department's first K-9 officer, was examined by a veterinarian and appears to be uninjured.

"The actual brick did not enter the car; it was stopped by the [car's rear] cage," said Deputy Chief Mike Meehan. "But the glass, as you can imagine, went flying."

The Crystal Crime Prevention Fund is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect. Anyone with information is asked to call 763-531-1020.

Karen Zamora