A 26-year-old man recently died after being attacked by his own three dogs in a Mira Mesa park in San Diego, California, US.
The victim, identified as Pedro Ortega, was with his son near a playground when the attack occurred, according to a Live 5 News WCSC report. Witnesses attempted to intervene and stop the attack using a golf club. When responding police officers arrived at the scene, they used a taser on the dogs as they fled.
One dog entered the nearby garage of a home after the attack, as captured in a doorbell video. The homeowner remained still to avoid provoking the dog, which he noted was panting and covered in blood that he quickly realized wasn’t his own.
“He was skinny. You could see all of his ribs. He was covered in blood head to toe, so it was probably not his own, and he had a Taser dart sticking out of him,” the homeowner described the scene, as quoted by Live 5 News WCSC.
The traces of the encounter were still apparent days later. “We still have blood on the car from where he wiped his face when he went through it,” said the homeowner.
The three dogs were captured following a brief lockdown at a nearby elementary school. All three dogs were placed in quarantine and later euthanised after a second owner relinquished them.
A second victim sustained serious injuries and is currently hospitalised. The local humane society identified the dogs as an XL bully breed.
A memorial for Ortega, including candles and a basketball, has been created at the park. “I’ve never seen anything like this happen here before and hope it never happens again,” a neighbor commented, as quoted by Live 5 News WCSC.
