CALIFORNIA -- A pit bull shot by Contra Costa sheriff's deputies Tuesday night survived its injury, and Animal Services officers will house the animal while deciding what to do with it.
A deputy shot the dog about 6:45 p.m. after it attacked and bit a police dog during an arrest of its owner, spokesman Jimmy Lee said.
Witnesses reported the suspect, 29-year-old Brian Vorum, acting weird near the Bethel Island and Gateway roads. He threatened passers-by and damaged property, Lee said.
While deputies searched the nearby Bethel Island Golf Course they encountered the pit bull, which behaved aggressively. A deputy pepper-sprayed it, and it ran.
Vorum fought when deputies tried to arrest him, and during the melee the pit bull returned and attacked the police dog, Lee said, prompting a deputy to shoot.
Vorum went to County Jail in Martinez on suspicion of parole violations and resisting arrest. The dog went to a veterinary office in Antioch for emergency care. Wednesday morning it was taken to the county Animal Services office in Martinez.
Deputies were not seriously hurt. Information about the condition of the police dog was not immediately available.
(Contra Costa Times - Dec 29, 2011)
