North Las Vegas police shoot pit bull to stop attack on small dog, owner

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - A pit bull was shot and killed by a North Las Vegas Police officer as it was attacking another dog, according to the department.

On Feb. 1 a North Las Vegas detective and city park employee responded to a call at 9 a.m. in Seastrand Park that a German shepherd and pitbull were running free and terrorizing people, according to authorities.

The employee and detective heard a woman screaming for help in the area and went to help. Both men saw the pit bull and shepherd attacking a small dog, held by its 65-year-old owner, who had another dog on a leash.

“The woman was tangled up with the dogs and in close proximity to the attack. The detective saw that the small dog was engulfed by the jaws of the pit bull while the shepherd was biting and pulling on the small dog’s leg,” NLVPD said.

The detective thought the woman was in imminent danger of being attacked and put himself between her and the dogs. He fired his gun twice at the pit bull and ended the attack, police said.

The woman’s dog, a Shih-Tzu, survived and was taken to a nearby animal hospital. Its current condition is unknown. The pit bull was taken to the Animal Foundation and died, NLVPD said.

North Las Vegas Animal Protective Services will charge the owners of the pit bull and German shepherd with dogs running at large.

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