SOUTH DAKOTA -- A Sioux Falls police officer didn’t suffer any serious injury Tuesday afternoon after a leashed dog bit him in central Sioux Falls, but the pit bull was shot once in the head and taken to an emergency veterinarian where it was euthanized, police said.
No citations are expected because the dog was on a leash, officer Ryan Sandgren said.
Shortly before 4 p.m., an officer was patrolling the area of 11th Street and Summit Avenue when he saw a girl who was walking the dog but unable to control it, Sandgren said. The officer stopped his vehicle to help an 8-year-old boy who was being chased by the dog get behind a fence. he said.
“It looked like the dog was going after some kids in the area, and he tried to help out,” Sandgren said. “While he was trying to assist, the dog turned around and bit him and he fired one round at the dog and the dog took off running back to the house.”
The officer attempted to place the dog in the cruiser’s back seat when it bit him in the hand, Sandgren said. The dog was shot in the head and made it back to its home about a block southwest, near the corner of 12th Street and Prairie Avenue, he said.
The dog’s owner walked the dog and placed it in back of an animal control vehicle, Sandgren said. The dog had blood on its head and appeared aggressive when placed in the vehicle. The police officer had minor injuries.
The female with the pit bull said the dog had bitten a man in near Munchies at 717 W. 11th St. before chasing the small boy, according to a press release. Officers searched the area but were unable to locate an injured man in the area.
Sandgren said police policy allows officers to fire at dogs if they feel threatened.
(Sioux Falls Argus Leader - Mar 26, 2013)
