A tragic incident unfolded on a San Diego playground last Friday when a local man was fatally attacked by his own dogs. The three large dogs, described as “XL bullies,” turned on their owner in a brutal assault that left onlookers horrified and scrambling to intervene.
The San Diego police received distress calls around midday, reporting a dog attack at the Mesa Viking Neighborhood Park. Upon arrival, officers found the three dogs relentlessly attacking the man. The severity of the attack led one witness to initially believe that the police were attempting to apprehend a dangerous criminal.
Steve Marto, a resident of the park’s neighborhood, described the scene. “I just saw they had something trapped in the weeds over here. I thought it was a person at first because they were talking about setting up a perimeter,” he said. Marto further described the dogs as “big, like XL bullies, just massive muscle.”
As the dogs continued their assault, bystanders attempted to intervene, using shovels and a golf club in a desperate bid to fend off the animals. The police were eventually compelled to use tasers on the dogs. Two of the dogs were successfully subdued and captured, but the third managed to escape into the nearby neighborhood.
The escape of the third dog prompted a lockdown at the nearby Ericson Elementary School until the animal was located at its home and captured. “The officer was able to break up the dogs. They fled, and the injured male was taken to the hospital with unknown injuries,” police reported.
Sadly, the man succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. A child who was present at the playground during the attack was unharmed. The fate of the dogs remains uncertain.
Marto expressed his condolences for the victim but also voiced his concerns about the dangers of owning such large dogs. “I don’t understand why someone would want to have three dogs that size. You’re just looking for a problem, in my opinion,” he said.