NEW JERSEY -- Police say a pit bull attacked an 11-year-old-girl and a Middle Township police officer June 3 in Rio Grande.
Police were dispatched to Vermont Avenue at 5:36 p.m. June 3 for a report of a child bitten by a dog.
After Officer Alison Akke responded to the scene, the pit bull attacked her, so she defended herself by firing her gun at the dog, police say.
The dog was not hit, but the pit bull immediately stopped attacking and retreated to the backyard, according to police.
The dog’s owner, Morris Fitzpatrick, 43, of Rio Grande, was charged under two ordinances, having an unlicensed dog and allowing the dog to wander.
The child and Akke were transported to Cape Regional Medical Center to be treated for minor injuries.
The investigation is ongoing and further charges are pending, according to police.
The Lower Township and Middle Township animal controls responded and assisted with seizing the pit bull. The dog is in quarantine as part of Cape May County Health Department guidelines.
The Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office responded in assisting Middle Township Police Department with the investigation of the discharge of a weapon.
(Shore News Today - June 7, 2013)
