Three large dogs attacked and killed their owners at a community park in San Diego on Friday, officials said.
The man has not been identified. The second victim “suffered a severe bite while trying to help the first victim” and was taken to a hospital where he is recovering, officials said.
All three dogs were euthanized Saturday, said Nina Thompson, a spokeswoman for the San Diego Humane Society, which contracts with the city to help police with animal incidents.
Thompson said the animals’ DNA has not been tested, so their species is uncertain. However, a second owner told officials the animals were purchased as “XL bullies,” large, powerful bull hybrids that have been banned in other countries.
The San Diego Police Department responded to the attack but did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Humane Society law enforcement officers responded to Mesa Viking Neighborhood Park in Mira Mesa at 12:13 p.m. Friday after receiving an “emergency call” from San Diego police, Thompson said in a statement provided to The Times. .
The humane society and police took control of two of the dogs and then discovered the third dog was locked in the vehicle, Thompson said.
Thompson said the dogs were impounded under “mandatory bite quarantine protocols.” The animals’ second owner later turned them over to the Humane Society and agreed to euthanize them.
Thompson said the humane society had no previous records of the dogs. Recovered footage shows the owner walking with three dogs to the park before the attack.
“Our deepest sympathies go out to the victim’s loved ones during this extremely difficult time,” Thompson said.
