Font ResizeTRACY — Police shot and killed one of two pit bulls that killed a cat, then turned on the cat owner and her dog.
The incident occurred Sept. 21, said Tracy police Sgt. Tony Sheneman.
The two pit bulls acted aggressively toward paramedics as they tried to take the injured woman to the hospital. One of the dogs was coaxed away, but the other charged the woman and was shot, he said.
Sheneman said it was unfortunate, but necessary.
"We had no choice for the safety of the neighborhood or our officers."
The incident occurred about 5:20 a.m. The woman told police the pit bulls had pulled apart her cat, and were attacking her dog at her home on the 1800 block of Mt Pellier Street. The woman said she tried to free her dog from the pit bulls, when they turned on her.
"She was able to drag the dog and herself into the neighbor's house," Sheneman said.
Several neighbors had heard her cries for help and called police.
Police had received multiple calls about an hour before the incident about the pit bulls being loose. The first time officers went out they could not find the dogs. The second time, the dogs ran away, Sheneman said.
He said he was unaware of any previous dog problems in the neighborhood. The pit bulls were not licensed.
Sheneman said the police department and the city attorney have talked to the owners of the pit bulls and have not yet determined what will happen with the case.
