A father is asking a dog owner to come forward after his adult son was mauled outside an Eagle Rock sandwich shop Thursday night.
Ian Alli, 20, was asking for money about 7 p.m. outside the restaurant in the 2600 block of Colorado Boulevard, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
The dog's owner gave Alli $10 and returned about two hours later with a pit bull mix on a leash, police said.
"He asked to pet the dog and they said yeah, no problem," said Brian Alli, the man's father. "And as he put his hand down to ... let it sniff his hand, that's when the dog lunged at him and attacked him."
Alli was taken to the hospital, where he went into surgery for bites to his face. He was listed in stable condition.
The dog's owner took off before officers arrived. There were conflicting reports Friday about whether the owner was a man, or two women in their 20s. Police said the owner could face charges for leaving the scene.
"I can't even imagine leaving another human being bleeding on the ground in a vicious dog attack, and being more concerned about the dog than the human being," Brian Alli said.
In a Facebook post, Brian Alli shared photos of his bloodied son. He said his son was collecting donations for DARE, the drug education group he works for. He said the attack was unprovoked.
"Please share this and find them," he said.
Officers said they planned to interview the victim once he was out of surgery.
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"He has a dog himself, we're pet lovers, we understand that things could happen, but you don't run from them," Brian Alli said. "That's what's really frustrating."
