A man was viciously attacked in Lancaster Monday by a pit bull inside a fenced yard with a locked gate, prompting a deputy to discharge their firearm to save the man, killing the dog in the process.
Deputies responded at approximately 9:50 a.m. Monday to the 43200 block of 20th Street West, near West Avenue K8, after receiving reports of a dog attacking a person, according to the Sheriff’s Information Bureau.
The responding deputies located an unresponsive man lying in the front yard of the house, with a pit bull attacking him.
Sheriff’s officials said the man was trapped inside a fenced yard with a locked gate, preventing deputies from immediate access.
A deputy managed to enter the yard in an effort to stop the vicious attack, but after using ineffective verbal commands, the deputy shot the dog, killing it.
”Only the attacking dog was struck, immediately stopping the attack,” the department said in a statement.
The dog was pronounced dead at the scene.
The victim was immediately rendered first aid until the arrival of Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics, who took him to a hospital, where he was expected to be in stable condition.
The extent of his injuries was not disclosed. The shooting was being investigated in accordance with department policy, with Animal Care and Control personnel who were present at the scene to take custody of the dead dog.
“When our deputies arrived, they encountered a life-threatening emergency and acted without hesitation to save a man’s life,” Capt. Paul Bartlett with the Lancaster Sheriff’s Station said in a statement.
Bartlett commended the efforts of the deputies, noting that ”their courage, training, and commitment” to assisting in protecting a life was exemplary of the service the department provides to the community daily.
”Any deputy-involved shooting can be a traumatic experience for those involved. The involved deputy has been provided access to the department’s available wellness and peer support resources,” according to a statement from the department.