A woman was brutally mauled by a pit bull on a San Francisco street after the dog was allegedly left off its leash by its owner.
The attack happened Tuesday morning as the woman walked through the city’s Tenderloin neighborhood, where the dog suddenly lunged at her, a witness told CBS.
According to the outlet, the ordeal continued for roughly 10 to 15 minutes while bystanders tried to stop the attack, including by using pepper spray to force the dog away from the victim.
The incident unfolded about a quarter of a mile from the Tenderloin police station.
After officers arrived, they were able to restrain the pit bull using a catch pole.
According to the outlet, the dog and its owner frequently appear in the Tenderloin, although it remains unclear whether the dog is always kept on a leash.
A video posted to the Citizen app shows the woman lying on the ground with the pit bull beside her, its face covered in blood.
In a video uploaded by Tenderloin Activities, witnesses can be heard shouting conflicting instructions at police, with some yelling, ‘Shoot that dog!’ while others shouted, ‘Don’t shoot that dog!’
A woman was viciously attacked by a pit bull on the streets of San Francisco after the canine was left unleashed by its owner
The woman was bleeding heavily from multiple limbs and was taken to the hospital in critical condition
The woman suffered severe injuries to her left hand and wrist, as well as her right hand and knee, Tenderloin Activities reported.
She was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, where she was placed on a ventilator and remains in critical condition.
The dog died at the scene, and its remains were taken by officers from San Francisco Animal Care and Control, San Francisco Police Department told DailyMail. Its owner was not located at the scene.
The cause of the dog’s death remains unclear, although witnesses alleged that it died as a result of rough handling by police, ABC7 reported.
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‘While the dog was being restrained, the dog became unresponsive and was declared deceased on scene,’ SFPD said in a statement to the DailyMail.
The identity of the woman involved in the pit bull attack has not been publicly released. There has been speculation that she is homeless and lives in the neighborhood. The incident is under investigation.
Tenderloin supervisor Bilal Mahmood addressed the incident on social media, writing: ‘This is not an isolated incident – we have regularly met and worked with families and neighbors in the TL who have experienced similar incidents with dogs in the streets over the last year.’
‘Earlier this year, we worked with SFPD Tenderloin Station on a Paw Patrol pilot to increase both enforcement and education in the neighborhood, and we will be working with SFPD again in the weeks ahead to identify similar efforts to increase enforcement and keep our communities safe.’
The San Francisco Police Department has a separate Dangerous Dogs Unit, which recently resumed its regularly scheduled hearings following a ten-month hiatus prompted by a lack of funding, according to the SF Standard.
The hearings, referred to by locals as ‘dog court,’ were established in response to the Diane Whipple case, a tragic incident in which a woman was mauled to death by two presa canarios, according to Officer Greg Sutherland.
The dog randomly jumped on the woman and started biting her. Pedestrians were unable to restrain the canine successfully
The dog died at the scene, and its remains were taken by officers from San Francisco Animal Care and Control
Since January, the Dangerous Dogs Unit has received 729 reports of dog bites, Sutherland told the Daily Mail. Last year, the unit received 1,027 reports.
According to Sutherland, around 30-40 percent of the bites occur in the Tenderloin.
The neighborhood is home to a significant portion of San Francisco’s homeless population, many of whom keep dogs for companionship and protection, according to the Mission Local.
Before the dog court hearings resumed this past July, the unit had a backlog of 66 cases, the SF Standard reported.
The Daily Mail has reached out to San Francisco and Tenderloin officials for further comment.