3 pit bulls attacking pedestrian are shot by police, one fatally

A Pasadena police officer fired a shotgun at three dogs early Wednesday morning, killing one, after they attacked and dragged a man, forcing him to flee onto the top of a parked car, police said.

A woman in the 1400 block of North Fair Oaks Avenue called police just after 5 a.m. and said she had seen a man being attacked by three dogs, which were later determined to be pit bulls or pit bull mixes.

She told police that he had been dragged by the canines before he broke free and “took refuge on top of a vehicle parked on Fair Oaks Avenue,” according to a news release from the Pasadena Police Department.

The dogs, were pacing beside the parked vehicle with the man on top, police said.

When officers arrived, 37-year-old Andrew Ross was still atop the vehicle. The dogs “aggressively” approaching the officers, prompting one of them to fire his shotgun “multiple times” at the pack, striking all three, police said.

One dog died at the scene and animal control officers found the other two and took them to receive veterinary services, police said.

Authorities said the dogs did not have tags on them and it was unclear who their owner was.

They said the dogs initially charged at Ross, who was walking his bicycle, from across the street. He suffered a bite wound on his leg.

“It was very fortunate the victim was not badly injured by the attacking dogs,” Police Chief Phillip Sanchez said in a statement. “In this instance, the officer’s quick actions prevented anyone else from being harmed.”

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ari.bloomekatz@latimes.com