Pit bulls suspected in woman’s death were violent, neighbors say

As police seek to determine if pit bulls they’ve seized are the ones that killed a woman Thursday in the Antelope Valley, neighbors said the dogs have a history of attacking humans and other animals.

Police also found a marijuana-growing operation during their search for the dogs, authorities said.

A 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of cultivating marijuana at a house near 115th Street East and Avenue S in the community of Littlerock after police conducted a search of the property related to the mauling of a 63-year-old woman Thursday morning.

Sheriff’s Capt. Mike Parker said detectives with a warrant, and working with animal control, took eight dogs, including six pit bulls.

Neighbors told KTLA News that they shot a video of the dogs hopping over the fence at the house where they lived.

“If there’s people on horses or elderly people walking, they attack them,” one man, who did not want to be identified, told the station.

The first deputy at the scene of the attack in Littlerock found the woman on the ground and saw a dog. According to Parker, the deputy chased the dog but it turned on him, so he fired a shot toward the dog, which than ran; the deputy continued his pursuit, the dog again turned in an aggressive manner, and the deputy fired another shot. The dog eventually fled into the desert off Avenue S.

L.A. County Sheriff’s Department deputies went door to door warning people to stay away from the area Thursday afternoon, Parker said. They were also trying to determine who the dogs belonged to, he said.

The woman, whose name has not been released, died en route to a hospital.

Police had not determined Friday morning if the dogs taken Thursday were the ones that attacked the woman.

Hours after the attack, Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, who represents the area, offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the four dogs.

In announcing the reward, Antonovich warned residents to stay indoors and call 911 if they see the animals. Parents walking their children home from school were told to be particularly cautious.

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