Officers shot a dog on a south Seattle street Tuesday afternoon after responding to a report that four “pitbulls” were on the loose in the Holly Park neighborhood, where one of the dogs had already bitten a man.
At about 12:45 pm, police received a 911 call that one of the dogs, reported to 911 as a “pitbull,” had bitten a man in the arm, drawing blood.
Officers and Seattle Fire Department personnel responded to the scene in the 3500 block of S. Morgan Street, called for Animal Control officers, and tried to locate the dogs’ owner.
During the incident, firefighters called their dispatchers to ask for police assistance after the dogs surrounded their fire engine, preventing medical personnel from treating the male dog bite victim.
Officers were working to corral the dogs back into the yard of a home when at least one officer shot one of the dogs.
All officer-involved shootings are subject to review by the Firearms Review Board.
Homicide/assault detectives will investigate the incident.
UPDATE:
Police and Animal Control are still working to confirm what types of dogs were involved in this incident, but the 911 report of the incident referred to the dogs as pitbulls.
During the incident, at least two of the dogs surrounded a fire engine, which had responded to the scene to treat the bite victim. When firefighters tried to treat the bite victim, one of the dogs charged a firefighter several times before police officers intervened.
Fire personnel treated the dog bite victim at the scene.
UPDATE 2:
After arriving on scene and getting in between the firefighters and the dogs, one officer sprayed the dogs with a fire extinguisher three times. It did not deter the animals.
Another officer tried using pepper spray on the dogs to try to get the animals to retreat, which again had little effect.
Finally, when one dog charged an officer at the scene, another officer fired one shot, killing the dog.
UPDATE 3: And here’s another update on the incident, from the Seattle Animal Shelter:
On Tuesday, July 9, Seattle Animal Shelter (SAS) Humane Animal Law Enforcement Officers were called to the 3500 block of S Morgan St. The report was that 4 dogs – 2 pitbulls, 1 mixed-breed dog and one pomeranian – were loose in the neighborhood. One dog had bitten an adult male. Seattle Police Department and Seattle Fire Department had already responded. SAS Officers detained 3 dogs, and they will be held pending further investigation. One dog was shot by the Seattle Police Department and is now deceased. The victim confirmed to SAS officers on the scene the dog that was shot was the dog that bit him.