SAN DIEGO Authorities and the Humane Society say three dogs attacked their owner in a park in San Diego on Friday, killing the man and wounding a passerby who attempted to assist.
According to Nina Thompson, a spokesman for the San Diego Humane Society, the dogs were put down on Saturday.
San Diego police informed NBC San Diego that the attack occurred at Mesa Viking Park in the Mira Mesa district at around noon on Friday.
According to Thompson, the owner’s death was verified by the Humane Society and the police. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family,” she said.
The San Diego County Department of Medical Examiner spokesperson, Chuck Westerheide, announced on Sunday that Pedro Luis Ortega, 26, had been identified as the dead.
He stated via email that the cause and manner of death were still unknown.
A second victim is recuperating from hospitalization, according to the Humane Society, which has a contract with the city for animal welfare and control services.
According to a statement sent by email on Sunday, Thompson stated that the victim who survived attempted to help the owner during the assault and suffered “serious bite injuries.”
According to her, police have security footage showing the owner leading the dogs into the park before to the assault. She identified the breed of the canines in the update as an XL bully, which is a variation of the American bully.
The foundation claimed to have no documentation of any prior complaints or claims of attacks by the three canines.
Paul Ngo, a resident, told NBC San Diego that prior to the attack, he saw the man with his dogs.
“I saw a person running around with three dogs,” stated the man. “I noticed that he was constantly repeating like, ‘Hey, be gentle, be nice.'”
Two of the dogs were located by police and Humane Society officers, who placed them under bite quarantine. According to Thompson, the third was placed under quarantine after being discovered confined in a car.
“We’ll test their remains for rabies,” she said.
“We are fully committed to conducting a thorough and careful review of this incident in collaboration with our law enforcement partners,” Thompson stated.
The postwar bedroom town of Mira Mesa was created, in part, to accommodate military troops stationed at nearby installations, which are now known as Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
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