DC Fire and EMS: Escaped dogs bite 3 people in Southeast DC

WASHINGTON ( DC News Now ) — One woman was briefly hospitalized and at least two others were wounded in a vicious dog attack Wednesday morning in Southeast D.C.

Neighbors said four dogs attacked multiple people on T Street near 13th Street.

Around 10:15 a.m. Wednesday morning, neighbors saw four dogs unchained and roaming T Street.

“It was four pit bulls that was laying, that was sitting around in that yard unchained,” said Will Vinson.

Megan Pyles was bringing her boyfriend breakfast when people on a nearby porch told her to watch out.

“I look down, the dog’s staring me in my face. He jumped straight to my arm, bit my arm, and I yanked my arm out its mouth and then I ran,” Pyles said. “He chased me until my boyfriend got a stick and was waving at the dog.”

But then the dog started circling so she jumped on Vinson’s car to get away.

“It was blood starting back here. It came all the way to the front, which was the whole front, the whole front of my car,” Vinson said. “I just cleaned it off but the whole front was covered in blood.”

“My skin was like peeled back til you could see inside my arm beside my bones, like the layer before the bones,” Pyles said.

Neighbors said it’s an ongoing problem

“The family that owns these dogs have multiple issues with dog bitings in this area,” one neighbor, who didn’t want to be identified, said.

But they said this attack was the worst they’ve seen.

“This family has not been able to maintain their pets and they’re just a nuisance on the block,” the neighbor said.

Pyles received stitches, five rabies shots and a tetanus shot.

“Something’s gotta be done about this dog tearing my skin off,” Pyles said.

Vinson witnessed the dogs’ owner come outside.

“She wasn’t even trying to apologize. She was trying to blame it on her neighbor like, he opened up the fence, ” Vinson said. “But the old guy didn’t open up the fence. I mean, he was like, ‘why would I open up a fence when the dogs attack me too?'”

A D.C. police spokesperson said one dog was detained by animal control.

In a statement, Humane Rescue Alliance spokesperson Diane Ashton said, “The Humane Rescue Alliance is currently investigating this as a dangerous dog case. We can release very little information at this time as we are actively investigating. There are no dogs currently running loose in the area. Since the dogs were in possession of the owner when we arrived (and not running at large/a stray), we could not forcefully take the dogs. We cannot forcefully take dogs that were already confined to the owner’s home for dog bite related cases.”

Two of the five dogs that escaped are in custody while three others are still on the loose.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.