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Dog Attack Sends Man to Hospital

July 6, 2016

Stray German Shepherd Was Police Dog

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016 – A 20-year-old man was attacked by a dog shortly before 11 p.m. Sunday in Eastvale.

The dog, a male German shepherd, was wandering loose along Ruby Giant Court. According to an animal control officer’s report, based on statements from witnesses, the man felt sorry for the animal. The man brought him a bowl of water. The dog drank, then it reportedly placed both its front paws on the man’s chest.

Soon thereafter, the dog attacked the man, initially taking a bite out of his left bicep area, according to reports given to Officer Luna by witnesses. The man suffered wounds to his left leg and ankle, witnesses said, and the victim was dragged into the street by the dog. The man screamed for help.

Relatives and friends tried punching and kicking the dog, but it would not release the victim, according to statements provided to the officer. Ultimately, in a desperate attempt to save the man, some of the men grabbed steak knives from inside the home, ran back out, then they stabbed the dog until it finally let go.

The homeowner, an uncle of the victim, told Riverside County Animal Services Officer Will Luna that he and the other rescuers had “no choice but to start stabbing the dog in order to get the dog to stop attacking.” At some point, a 911 call was made and emergency responders were already on scene when Officer Luna arrived. The victim had already been transported to a Corona hospital.

Officer Luna approached the injured German shepherd. It was on a lawn area, in front of the home where the attacked occurred. The dog look lethargic at first, but immediately sat to attention when Officer Luna got near it. Officer Luna said the officers near him worried for his safety, but he assured them he was OK.

Officer Luna retrieved his control stick, then calmly and without incident, put a loop around the dog’s head. The dog did not attack him or fight the control stick.

“I walked him to my truck and, with one command, the dog, despite its injuries, leaped into one of my truck compartments,” Officer Luna said. That’s when the veteran officer of more than a dozen years said he knew he was dealing with a police dog. “That dog must have recognized me and uniform and as someone of authority,” Officer Luna said. “He didn’t show any aggression toward me at all.”

He rushed the dog to an emergency animal hospital, but the dog was later euthanized by staff members at the clinic because its wounds were too severe.

A microchip was discovered embedded in the dog. It was later confirmed that the dog is a retired K9 officer. The dog served in a Los Angeles County law enforcement agency.

The victim’s condition is unknown at this time.