FLORIDA — A SWAT member fatally shot a pit bull that charged at him while deputies were trying to enter a mobile home to search it on Thursday, the Broward Sheriff's Office said.
"At that point, he had to take necessary action to protect himself and others," said Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Veda Coleman-Wright.
Deputies with the Pompano Beach Selective Enforcement Team arrived at the home in the 900 block of Northeast 48th Street shortly before 5 p.m. They had asked for help from the SWAT members because authorities had received information there were guns inside, Coleman-Wright said.
Authorities found 80 grams of marijuana, a high-powered rifle and a shotgun inside the mobile home.
The dog's owner, Richard Dyckman, 18, was arrested and charged with possession of cannabis with intent to sell, possession of a weapon by an adult felon and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The shooting is one of several recent incidents involving [pit bulls].
On Sept. 19, a deputy trying to serve a retraining order at a Pompano Beach apartment shot and injured a pit bull that charged at him, according to the Sheriff's Office.
On Aug. 29, deputies fatally shot two pit bulls after the dogs attacked a woman outside her home and then charged at them.
(Sun Sentinel - Oct 21, 2011)
