‘Horrible’ San Antonio dog attack kills old man, injures three

An elderly man was killed and three others injured after a dog attack in a residential neighborhood in San Antonio Friday afternoon, officials said.

Around 1:45 p.m. local time, firefighters dispatched after receiving a call about a dog bite arrived and found an elderly man “being dragged by a dog,” the San Antonio fire chief said. Charles Hood told reporters.

“They could see him completely bloodied before he got out of the fire truck,” Hood said.

Hood, who called the scene “terrifying,” said firefighters had to fend off multiple pit bulls with “picks and pipe poles” just to reach two victims, a man and a woman in their 80s. No. Hood said the attack occurred on a sidewalk.

The man was taken to hospital after having his blood drawn at the scene, where he died. The woman was hospitalized in critical condition. Their names have not been released.

A fire chief was also bitten on the leg during the ordeal, and a fourth victim was taken to the hospital after being bitten on the hand, Hood said.

Hood described the firefighters’ actions as “very heroic”.

“This is not normal for us. Usually we don’t show up and have to protect our patients from animals and ourselves,” Hood said.

Shannon Sims, director of San Antonio Animal Care Services, said three dogs had been seized by animal control, all of them Staffordshire Terriers. At least two of those dogs were involved in the attack, Sims said. All three belonged to the same property owner and were debriefed by officers at the scene.

He added that the investigation was in the “early stages” and that the owner could face “potential charges”.

Sims said the same dog was involved in a “previous bite” incident in 2021 and was briefly taken into custody, but was eventually returned to its owner.