CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – A Coral Springs police officer shot what he said was an aggressive dog after it charged and growled at him twice outside an apartment in the 3500 block of Northwest 114th Lane.
Authorities said the officer had responded to reports of a white dog wandering in the same area on Monday around 4 p.m. After the officer located the animal, he stated that he was able to "place the loose dog in the back seat of a marked police SUV."
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After asking a group of people gathered in a driveway if they knew who the dog's owners were, he was given the address of an apartment nearby where the dog was roaming.
While approaching the residence, the officer said he was confronted by a second dog, which was later identified as a brown and white pit bull-mix, standing on the walkway between two residences.
The officer said the female dog charged and growled and, although he gave a "loud verbal command to the dog in an attempt to deter its aggressive action," the dog charged again.
The officer fired one shot, striking the animal below its right eye, and it then ran to the back of the apartment complex.
After following a trail of blood, the dog was located inside an apartment where a door was open. The Coral Springs Police Department Humane Unit was called in and the dog was taken to Coral Springs Animal Hospital.
The owner was told about the incident and, accompanied by the officer, was taken to the animal hospital where they were advised of the dog's injuries. The owner then decided to euthanize the dog, according to the report.
The other dog was returned to the same owner.
Coral Springs police said they experienced a similar incident in September in which an officer was bitten in the leg by a pit bull-mix and was hospitalized.