Officer Kills Charging Pit Bull to Rescue Cornered Child
A Gardena police officer shot and killed a charging pit bull Saturday in an effort to rescue a toddler, who was cornered by the dog and a Rottweiler in the front yard of a house, officials said.
The dogs were chasing a group of children about 2:40 p.m. in the 1400 block of Spinning Avenue, said Officer Cruz Olivarez. Parents called the police when they could not get past the dogs to get their children. Just minutes before police arrived, the dogs had cornered one of the youngsters against a wall.
Olivarez said Sgt. Gary Cherry got between the child and the dogs. “The two dogs started charging toward him,” Olivarez said. “In fear the dog was going to attack him or the children, he fired from his shotgun at the dogs, striking both of them.”
Despite being hit, the pit bull got up and charged again, Olivarez said. “That’s when [Cherry] shot it and killed it,” he said.
The wounded Rottweiler was captured later by animal control officers. The children were not injured, Olivarez said.
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