Police Kill Dog After It Mauls Woman

Police hunted down and fatally shot a 90-pound dog Thursday after the animal mauled a woman walking a much smaller dog in a Santa Ana apartment complex.

Tamara Jurjis suffered a deep, 4-inch-long bite to her upper arm and six puncture wounds to her buttocks and was taken to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana for treatment, police said.

The bull mastiff-Rottweiler crossbreed was strong enough to knock the 38-year-old off her feet and drag her along the ground while still biting her, police said.

Two police officers and three animal control officers, aided by a police helicopter, combed the apartment complex and surrounding neighborhood for the dog. They eventually cornered the animal behind a nearby shopping center.

“It appears to be totally unprovoked,” Santa Ana Police Sgt. Raul Luna said. “The dog just comes out of nowhere and attacks the small leash dog and the owner. . . . For a person to be attacked by an animal that weighs as much as they do is very traumatic.”

The incident comes amid growing concern over dog attacks nationwide since two dogs mauled to death a 33-year-old woman in San Francisco last week.

Jurjis had been walking her dog about 1:50 p.m. near a laundry room of an apartment complex in the 1400 block of North Cabrillo Park Drive when the larger animal suddenly attacked, Luna said.

It first bit the woman’s dog, then turned on her. By the time officers arrived, the animal was gone. A patrol officer eventually found it at 17th and Mabury streets. Fearing that the dog posed a danger to him and others, the officer shot and killed it, Luna said.

Jurjis, a forensic scientist at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department crime lab, was expected to be released from the hospital Thursday night.

“She’s certainly upset,” Luna said. “These types of bites hurt for days because of the tearing of flesh.”

Her dog, which suffered a small bite from the bigger animal, was treated by a local veterinarian.

Police officers spent the afternoon canvassing the neighborhood in an attempt to find the dog’s owner, Luna said. The animal had a collar but no license.

If found, the owner could be charged with two misdemeanors: not licensing the dog and failing to keep it on a leash in public. The charges carry fines of $60 and $50, respectively.

Authorities urged people not to approach stray dogs and to call animal control officers if they see loose animals.