San Diego

3 dogs kill their owner and injure a bystander at a San Diego park

The victim was attacked by his three dogs in Mesa Viking Park, according to San Diego Police Department.

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Police say a man was mauled to death by his own three dogs at a neighborhood park. NBC 7’s Jeanette Quezada reports.

San Diego police and paramedics were called out Friday afternoon after a fatal dog attack in a city park.

Two people were attacked around noon, one man by his own three dogs in Mesa Viking Park, according to SDPD. A witness told NBC 7 that the man was being mauled when another person tried to help him and was also attacked.

Both victims were taken to a hospital after the attack, where the dog owner was pronounced dead, SDPD Officer Jose Perales told NBC 7.

One of the dogs involved in the fatal animal attack in Mira Mesa was locked in a car afterward, then removed by animal control officers from the San Diego Humane Society on Dec. 13, 2024. (Credit: Steve Marto)

The status of the second victim is unknown at this time but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

"Upon arrival, our humane officers worked collaboratively to locate two of the dogs [that] were still loose, and impounded a third dog that had been contained in a car," Nina Thompson, the humane society's director of public relations, told NBC 7. After that, the San Diego Humane Society took all three dogs away and put them in their care for mandatory bite quarantine.

A second owner signed over all three dogs and agreed to have the SDHS humanely euthanize them. According to the co-owner of the dogs, they were all a mix of bully breeds, Thompson told NBC 7 on Sunday.

"As a result of the ongoing investigation, the decision was made to euthanize all three of the victim’s dogs," Thompson said.

"This remains an active and ongoing investigation. We are committed to ensuring a thorough review of the incident," Thompson added.

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that an SDPD officer, not a spokeswoman with SDFD, told NBC 7 that the dog owner was pronounced dead at the hospital.

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