Trio of dogs attack in San Francisco Fillmore District, police fatally shoot mastiff
SAN FRANCISCO - Two dogs were shot, one fatally, by San Francisco police officers on Friday morning after they went on a rampage and attacked a pedestrian and a small dog, according to authorities.
Animal care and control have seized two of the dogs that went on the attack, but at last check, they still don't have the owner who could face criminal charges.
Officer Robert Rueca said that at 10:50 a.m., officers responded to a call about three loose dogs attacking a pedestrian and a smaller dog at Ellis and Fillmore streets.
When officers arrived, they saw the canines attacking the pedestrian. Officers tried to stop the animals, to no avail. One of the officers discharged their gun, fatally shooting one of the dogs.
The dog that was shot made its way to the Safeway located at Webster and Fillmore streets before it collapsed and died.
The pedestrian was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The smaller dog from the first attack was injured and is receiving medical care. There was no update on the small dog's condition.
Officers captured one of the three dogs unharmed after it was cornered in the Safeway parking lot. The third dog was pursued on foot for several blocks to Raymond Kimball Park at Geary Boulevard and Steiner Street. There, an officer shot the canine, which was then taken by animal control officers. The dog's exact condition is currently unknown.
Bob O'Neil was walking with his girlfriend when officers began shouting at families in the playground to get out of the area.
"And then we saw the dog run right between us, right by my girlfriend and I, and then a bunch of police officers hop out with guns and in a second we realized they were the rubber bullet guns they were using on the dog," O'Neil said.
Rueca said before officers used lethal force, they attempted to use non-lethal forms to subdue the dogs but were unsuccessful.
O'Neil was able to capture video of the dog that made it to the park as it was being taken away by animal control officers.
Rueca said he couldn't yet identify the breed of dogs, who were all adults weighing about 120 pounds. O'Neil's video gives a good sense of how massive one of the dogs is.
Officers are trying to find the owner of the dogs as the incident has turned into a criminal investigation.
Much of the police investigation centered around a van in the Safeway parking lot with what appeared to be chewed plywood and blankets inside. A sign on the window said animal care and control had taken custody of a female cane corso mastiff, a large breed of guard dog that can weigh more than 100 pounds.
Another witness described a terrifying scene with three dogs on the attack in the Safeway parking lot.
"We did see the dogs running around the parking lot and he bit some man in the leg and we just hurried up and rant that way," said Zubedah Shabazz. He described the dogs as big. "Great Dane or maybe a little bit smaller. The one that I seen was a little smaller than a Great Dane." He described a confusing and chaotic scene.
Police said there are laws that cover instances where a dog owner can't control their animal, and it attacks another animal or person.
"This is a criminal investigation because you are supposed to be in control of your dog," said Officer Rueca.
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