PENNSYLVANIA -- Allentown police officers trying to corral a pair of loose pit bulls Thursday morning were forced to shoot and kill one of them when it tried to attack the officers, police said.
Assistant Chief Joseph Hanna said the dog was shot twice in the 100 block of Linden Street after it charged at the officers using an animal snare. A second pit bull was captured and taken to the Lehigh County Humane Society, he said.
The owner of the dogs has not been interviewed, Hanna said, and he may face charges.
"The officer was put in a position where he had to use deadly force on the animal," Hanna said. "It's an unfortunate incident we would hope our officers are never confronted with."
Hanna said officers were dispatched at about 11 a.m. to Linden Street after receiving complaints of several loose pit bulls acting aggressively in the area, including one that attempted to attack a pedestrian. Callers said the dogs were on the front steps of 158 Linden Street.
When officers arrived they saw a grey pit bull on the edge of the open porch. The dog had no collar or tags and it was not tied up, Hanna said.
A pair of officers attempted to use a snare to catch the dog, Hanna said. One of the officers worked the snare while the other officer protected him, Hanna said.
The dog emerged from the porch and approached the officer with the snare and then turned and went after the officer without the snare, Hanna said. The officer jumped backward and as the dog charged him, he fired a shot, Hanna said. A second shot put the dog down, he said.
A second pit bull was captured using the snare, Hanna said. The dog, which did not give officers any problems, was placed in the back of a police paddy wagon and held until the Humane Society arrived.
Witnesses told police that the dogs are loud, vicious and aggressive and have been a problem in their neighborhood for several weeks, Hanna said.
(The Morning Call - May 19, 2011)
