By Eric Heinz
An off-duty Orange County Sheriff’s Department deputy shot and killed his neighbor’s pit bull Sunday evening in the area of Avenida Merida and Camino Vera Cruz in San Clemente after the dog bit his 12-year-old son and continued to be aggressive toward his family, according to OCSD officials.
The dog belonged to a California Highway Patrol officer who lives near the deputy.
“An off-duty OCSD deputy was with his family in front of his residence getting ready to go on a bike ride. His 12-year-old son was not on a bike but on a driveway, and at some point a neighbor’s pit bull owned by an off-duty CHP officer got loose and attacked the 12-year-old son,” OCSD public information officer Mark Stichter said. “The son sustained injuries with being consistent of being bitten. The dog continued to be aggressive and came toward the deputy’s younger daughter who was on his bike with him, and he shot the pit bull.”
The deputy used a firearm that belonged to him and not a weapon of OCSD. The dog was a privately owned pet of the CHP officer.
“It was a very cooperative scene; the highway patrol officer was very cooperative, and this was an incident that neither one of them wanted to happen,” Stichter said. “The animal control responded and transported the dog to a veterinarian, and eventually the dog was put down due to his condition. It was just a very unfortunate incident.”
OCSD is continuing to examine the situation. Per the department’s protocol, homicide investigators responded to the scene. No arrests were made in the incident and no criminal charges have been filed. The names of the officers involved were not released.
It would be prudent to consider that had this not been a cop, the dog could have killed or grievously injured any of the members of his family, including him.
But he WAS a cop, and he was carrying a gun.
Can YOU?
Think about that….
Yes, private citizens can have a handgun with the proper permit. I don’t understand YOUR question?
Another instance where ‘a good guy with a gun’ prevented a tragedy. Of course Nancy Pelosi could have done the same as she is one of ‘the only ones’ allowed to carry a gun.
You own a notoriously dangerous and aggressive dog who’s move than capable of killing a person, it’s loose in the neighborhood and goes after a child. I’d say the responsibility is 100% with the owner of the dog and would not hold the deputy accountable at all.
Read the books by pit bull lovers Joseph Colby, Richard Stratton, Carl Semencic, written before the pit mongering lies and deception began in the 1970’s.
You would learn that “starting”, or “turning on” which means suddenly feeling the flood of instinct to attack unprovoked and prolonged, is excellent pit bull behavior.
It’s essential for dog fighting too. Pits are the favorite.USA UK fighting dogs.
I am the son of the owner. Raider was not an aggressive dog, the “bite marks” were merely scratches. The shot was fired on the other side of the street, our neighbor was not defending himself and his family, he was attacking the dog in anger.
Hi Tommy,
Send an email to eheinz@picketfencemedia.com about this. Thanks