LAUDERHILL, Fla. – A pit bull was shot by a Lauderhill police officer who witnessed a woman being attacked by the dog Tuesday morning, authorities confirmed.
According to Lt. Michael Santiago, who is also a spokesman for the police department, the officer was conducting an area check in the 5400 block of Northwest 18th Court just before 8 a.m. when he saw the victim being attacked by the dog.
Santiago said the officer jumped a fence and ran over to the woman, ultimately being forced to fire at the dog to stop the attack.
“The pit bull ended up running away to a house about three houses south,” Santiago said.
According to Santiago, it appears that the woman was attacked by the pit bull as she was trying to protect her small dog.
She was taken to an area hospital with puncture wounds to her lower extremities.
The pit bull was taken to an animal hospital for treatment. Sky 10 was above the scene just after 8:30 a.m. as the dog was being removed from a home inside a crate.
“The officer has to take action and, at the time, that’s what the officer felt like they needed to do,” Santiago said. “They were forced to take action to save a female from actively getting attacked by this dog.”
The investigation remains open. Police have not confirmed whether the owner will be cited or whether the dog will be put down.