A pit bull that attacked and critically injured its owner in Palm Springs died after being shot multiple times by responding police officers using a stun gun, the Palm Springs Police Department reported Tuesday.
The attack occurred around 6:15 p.m. Monday at an apartment in the 5300 block of Waverly Drive, police said.
The dog, a 6- to 7-year-old male pit bull, initially attacked its owner, an unidentified woman, but was fended off by a neighbor.
However, police say it attacked the woman a second time, and officers arrived to find the dog “still actively mauling its adult female owner inside an apartment.”
An officer shot the dog with a stun gun, allowing police to pull the animal off of the woman. However, police say it continued to try and attack the officers, leading police to shoot it “several more times” before the dog could be restrained.
The woman suffered “severe injuries” after being bitten “multiple” times and was hospitalized in critical condition, police said.
The dog was being taken to the Palm Springs Animal Shelter for treatment of its injuries but died while en route to the facility. An investigation is being conducted into the cause of the dog’s death and the reason it attacked its owner, who police say rescued the pit bull off the streets about four years ago.
Police also said that there were no known prior acts of violence or aggression involving the dog prior to Monday’s attack.