Three people were bitten in a dog attack in Southeast D.C. on Wednesday. Witnesses said a woman with a cane, a sanitation worker with a stick and a neighbor with a bat helped fight off three dogs.
One person was taken to a hospital, while the other two were treated at the scene on 13th Street SE, D.C. Fire and EMS said.
Neighbors said the dogs have been a nuisance for months.
One victim of the attack said she was standing in an alley when a dog suddenly pounced. It bit her on the arm and seriously wounded her.
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She jumped on top of a man’s car to try to escape, driver Will Vincent said.
“The whole hood was covered in blood,” he said.
“She jumped on one the vehicles that was parked in the alley, and there was a trash man also in the alley,” according to a man who said he witnessed the attack. “He noticed it as well, so he got out of his truck and tried to ward off the dogs with a stick.”
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The man said he called 911 and grabbed a bat.
“I just warded the dogs off. I didn’t strike the dogs or anything like that. Nonetheless, I wanted the dog to know, ‘Hey, I’m not playing with you,’” he said.
Witnesses said a police officer who arrived on the scene pulled out his gun but did not shoot.
“I know how vicious a pit bull attack is. It was to the point I was telling this man, ‘Shoot him! Shoot him!’” Vincent said.
D.C. police said one of the dogs was captured and taken away by animal control.
Video shared with News4 by a neighbor shows one of the dogs trying to run away as animal control tried to get it on a leash.
The Humane Rescue Alliance said a dangerous dog investigation was underway.
They said in a statement: “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.”
Neighbors describe repeated complaints about dogs
Three people who live on the block told News4 the dogs have been a nuisance for months but despite their complaints, nothing has been done.
One man, who asked not to be identified, said the dogs have been abused. He said he has complained to both the owner and the city.
“I think there is too much bureaucratic red tape to get a dog taken away in D.C. For a dangerous animal, somebody needs to be permanently disfigured or needs sutures. So far that hasn’t happened and there haven’t been enough recordings of abuse for them to be taken away in an abuse case,” he said.
