Person with life-threatening injuries after Tenderloin dog attack; dog dead: SFPD
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A woman suffered life-threatening injuries after a dog attack in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood on Tuesday morning, according to police and witnesses.
The attack happened around 9:20 a.m. Witnesses told ABC7 Eyewitness News the dog would not let go of the woman as bystanders rushed in to help.
Witnesses said for about 10 minutes, the woman fought for her life as the dog attacked her.
"Help. Just help! Please help! Get the dog. Please get the dog! Help me, help me, help me! And then a lot of residents in the building were screaming out the window. Yeah. Everyone was just trying to hit the dog. Whatever they could find," witness Ashley Powell said.
Powell said the midsize pit bull charged at the woman from across the street.
"... like, jumped on her. Charged at her, and she fell. And then she was trying to fight the dog off with her hands in the air," Powell said.
Multiple witnesses said the woman continued fighting the dog while bystanders attempted to intervene. Witnesses said the woman was bleeding from both arms while lying motionless in the street.
"A couple of my residents came out. A lot of innocent bystanders came out and was kicking the dog, punching the dog, but the dog was trying to attack them, too. So. But they were people were jumping on the cars. It was really bad. It was bad," Powell said.
San Francisco police officers arrived and restrained the dog.
"Nearby officers were able to separate the victim, and during the encounter, officers rendered aid to the victim, who was suffering life threatening injuries," SFPD officer Robert Rueca said.
The woman was transported to a hospital. Her current condition is unknown.
The dog died at the scene.
"He was, on the leash on the one of those leash that you catch the dogs with. And the dog just kept turning, turning, turning while I was on it. And I'm pretty sure that's how it it passed away," Powell said.
Police have not confirmed how the dog died.
According to SFPD data, there have been 466 reported dog attacks in the Tenderloin since 2018. ABC7's data team found that dog attacks in the neighborhood have nearly doubled over the last three years compared with other city neighborhoods.
Residents said they want to see changes. The Tenderloin has a high concentration of homeless individuals with dogs.
"There's no bad dogs, just bad dog owners. You know, if your dog's vicious put a muzzle on him, it's not that hard. Pay attention to your dog if you got a pit bull. It's like having a child," San Francisco resident Anthony Young said.
Police said they are still searching for the dog's owner. Witnesses told ABC7 News they believed they had previously seen the dog with a homeless individual in the area before the attack.
