Toddler Stable After Attack; Pit Bull to Die

Family members crowded into the pediatric intensive-care unit of UCI Medical Center in Orange on Monday to show support for a critically injured 2-year-old boy mauled by a pit bull over the weekend. Authorities said the dog’s owner has agreed to have the animal euthanized.

John Michael Macias-Drisner of Orange remains in stable condition after three hours of surgery Saturday night following the mauling that day in La Habra.

“I really want to thank the neighbor and the roofers who were able to help,” Suzette Macias, the boy’s mother, said of those who pulled him from the dog. John Michael was attacked as he and his grandmother returned with other relatives from a garden shop Saturday afternoon.

“If it weren’t for them,” the mother said, “this miracle would not have happened. The doctors said the dog was set to kill him.”

Boy Has Nightmares

Though responding well to their voices, relatives said, the toddler is having nightmares. “He’s just very clingy to me right now,” Macias said.

The boy was expected to be transferred to the hospital’s pediatric ward within two days; doctors said the greatest danger now is infection.

Witnesses said the dog ran past several adults and straight for the boy. Annette Briers of Huntington Beach, John Michael’s aunt, said grandmother Rosalie Macias tried to protect her grandson by lifting him above her head, but she lost her balance and fell as the dog ran between her legs.

The dog sank its teeth into the boy’s head, tearing away part of his scalp.

The toddler also suffered lacerations to his forehead and right cheek, and punctures to his chest, legs and eyelids, said Dr. Jay Calvert, UC Irvine assistant professor of clinical surgery in the division of plastic surgery.

He said a CAT scan of the boy’s skull showed bruising, but no evidence of brain damage.

“The injuries were of a very vicious nature,” Calvert said. “Based on the amount of dead tissue, and the extent of the injuries ... if this attack was allowed to continue we wouldn’t be talking about the patient Michael Macias, but the fatality.

“Pit bulls kill people; we know that,” he said. “It’s not a big secret.”

The dog was subdued by neighbor Don Beaman and two roofers working nearby.

The dog’s owner, Jonathan Beasley, 21, relinquished ownership of the animal, which is being held for four days in mandatory quarantine before being put to death, authorities said Monday.

No Charges Filed

No charges have been filed against Beasley pending further investigation, officials said.

“We’ll continue to see if there are other circumstances, such as whether the dog was trained to attack,” said Cindy Knapp, La Habra police spokeswoman.

“The greatest [impact] may not be so much criminal liability but civil liability.”

Beasley could not be reached for comment Monday, but family members expressed shock at the dog’s behavior and denied that it had ever been aggressive.

“This has never happened before,” said Beasley’s cousin Jennifer Kenison of Norwalk.

“My family is just really heartbroken, and our prayers go out to the little boy and his family.”

3,000 Bites This Year

About 3,000 people have suffered dog bites in Orange County this year, and about 4,000 were attacked last year, said Kathy Francis, Animal Care Services spokeswoman.

“We haven’t seen a huge increase,” Francis said. “We seem to go seasonally. It generally peaks in the summer months and declines in the winter.”

Dog lovers in the La Habra neighborhood Monday worried that this latest attack will add to the reputation for viciousness the pit bull breed has earned in recent years.

“You hear it on the news that the breed is vicious, but it’s really all about the owners,” said neighbor Michael Beaman, Don’s son, as he patted his own 2-year-old pit bull, Jake. “They really are beautiful dogs. I love them.”

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Times staff writer Kimi Yoshino and Times wire services contributed to this report.