An 8-year-old girl is recovering after a large dog attacked her as she and her siblings were walking to school in Victorville. Christian Cazares reports for the NBC4 I-Team on Feb. 29, 2024.
An 8-year-old girl walking to school was injured Thursday when she was attacked by a dog in a Victorville neighborhood.
Deputies responded at about 7 a.m. to the 13800 block of Mesa Linda Avenue in the San Bernardino County community after a report of a dog who bit two children. One child ran away, but the 8-year-old girl suffered multiple injuries, according to the sheriff's department.
A neighbor ran outside to help the girl, and the dog ran off, authorities said.
Maria Hernandez said she was getting her daughter ready for school when the girl noticed the attack. Security camera video showed the dog dragging the girl in front of a home.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
"I found the first thing that I found, which was my broom," said Hernandez.
The dog and girl were on the neighbor's front yard when Hernandez arrived on the scene, wielding her broomstick. The dog appeared to rip off some of the girl's clothes and drag her by the hair.
"I was able to pull the little girl away from the dog, and tried to keep him away with my broom," Hernandez said. "He just kept insisting to come after her."
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
Video showed Hernandez, broomstick pointed at the dog, holding onto the girl as they walked toward her home. She told the other children to run inside her house.
The 8-year-old girl was hospitalized and received several stitches for her injuries.
"All I know is that I got attacked and my legs started hurting bad and my head," said Genesis, who was the young girl injured by the dog.
While Genesis continues to recover from her injuries, her mother, Ronika Jones, is seeking answers.
"They always walk up and down the street and no child should be attacked by a dog," Jones said. "Makes no sense."
She has stitches here and on her back. Bruises all over her body. They always walk up and down the street and no child should be attacked by a dog. Makes no sense.
The dog was captured and taken to animal control, authorities said. Hernandez said the same dog was seen overnight in the neighborhood.
The dog does not have a microchip ID. The sheriff's department was attempting to find an owner.
