Retired LA County police dog euthanized after attacking man in Eastvale

EASTVALE >> A 20-year-old man was severely injured after being attacked by a retired police dog Sunday in Eastvale, officials said.

The man saw the German shepherd wandering loose on Ruby Giant Court shortly before 11 p.m. and felt sorry for the animal, according to a news release from the Riverside County Department of Animal Services, citing witness statements.

The man brought the dog a bowl of water. After drinking it, the dog put its front paws on the man’s chest, the release said.

The dog subsequently attacked the man, biting his left bicep area. The man, who was screaming for help, suffered wounds to his left leg and ankle and was dragged into the street by the dog, the release said.

After the man’s relatives and friends tried punching and kicking the dog so it would release him, some men grabbed steak knives from inside a home and stabbed the dog until it let go, the release said.

An uncle of the victim told an animal control officer he and others had “no choice but to start stabbing the dog” to get it to stop attacking, the release said.

The victim was taken to a Corona hospital and his condition was unknown, the release said. Officials did not release the man’s name.

The officer, who arrived on scene after first responders, used a control stick and put a loop around the dog’s neck.

The dog was taken to an emergency animal hospital, but was later euthanized because its wounds were too severe, the release said.

A microchip was embedded in the dog. Officials determined the dog served in a Los Angeles County law enforcement agency.

The animal services department did not release the name of the law enforcement agency because the case is under investigation, spokesman John Welsh wrote in an email.