Dog killed in officer-involved shooting after it attacked owner in Harbor City

HARBOR CITY, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A large dog was killed in an officer-involved shooting in Harbor City after authorities said it and another dog attacked its owner.

Authorities received calls about a woman being attacked by a dog in the 1600 block of West 216th Street around 12:30 p.m.

When officers arrived, they were approached by two dogs and an officer-involved shooting occurred. At least one of the dogs was killed and covered with a sheet. The other dog ran away and was later caught by animal control officers.

The woman, 36, was found badly mauled in her backyard. She was taken to a local hospital, where she underwent surgery for serious injuries.

Authorities said the woman was attacked by her own dogs, who are cane corso Italian mastiffs. It was unclear what led to the attack.

One of the neighbors, Joanne, said she was surprised to hear about the attack because one of the dogs, named Achilles, is friendly. She said the woman did get a new mastiff not too long ago and wondered if that contributed to the problem.

"I'm very shocked and saddened that one of the dogs had to lose their lives and the woman had to be injured so severely. I mean it's just a really sad situation," Joanne said.

The woman's boyfriend, Lovell Henderson, who lives with her at the home, said he came home and saw Achilles had been killed. Their other dog, named Storm, was the one who had run off.

Henderson said he has three mastiffs, and one was inside the home at the time of the attack. He believes it was Storm who attacked his girlfriend.

He also believes authorities shot Achilles because he wouldn't let them inside the home. Henderson said he has never had any trouble from either dog and has no idea what happened.

It's unclear what will happen to the second dog. Henderson said he understands if Storm needs to be put down for attacking his girlfriend.

The investigation was ongoing.