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During an on-foot police chase in Watts yesterday, a pit bull was shot by officers who say that the dog was charging them. City News Service reports that two LAPD cops were responding to a report of a shooting at about 11 p.m. last night when they saw several men running near the intersection of 97th Street and Holmes Avenue. The men ran into a nearby yard, and when police pursued them, they allege that they were charged by two pit bulls.
The officers claim that they tried to kick the dogs off to no avail, so one of the officers fired a shot, hitting and injuring the dog.
The dog was taken in for treatment by his owner, but it's not clear whether the owner had anything to do with the chase or the suspects.
Two other men were later taken into custody, and three handguns were taken from them. No update yet on the well-being of the dog.
Local police have recently been under fire for their treatment of animals after a Rottweiler was shot to death by cops in Hawthorne.
