Los Angeles officer shoots dog while searching a home during a call in Hollywood

HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A Los Angeles police officer shot and wounded a pit bull that was said to be acting aggressive when the person responded to a shots fired call in Hollywood.

The incident happened in the early hours of Saturday in the 5800 block of Willoughby Avenue. There were reports of shots fired in the area. When authorities arrived, a person there told the officers the location of possible suspects.

The officers headed toward an apartment building to investigate.

As officers cleared the home, one of them was confronted by an aggressive pit bull. The officer feared for his safety and fired one shot at the dog to stop it from biting him. The dog then ran into another room, but returned moments later and tried to bite the officer again.

The dog stopped and ran into a bathroom, where he was locked in until officers with the Department of Animal Regulations arrived. Those officers responded to the scene and took the dog to a local shelter for treatment.

But according to spcaLA, the dog was a family pet named Kush and was bleeding in that bathroom for hours.

According to the owner Brett Kerby, he told spcaLA that Kush was not immediately cared for and that his 7-year-old daughter, grandmother, a friend and Kush were inside a home while he and a woman named Norma Lopez were detained outside.

When officers were about to enter the home, Kerby said his friend offered to remove the dog, but officers declined.

The LAPD has offered to pay Kush's medical bills, which are at $1,000 and growing, according to spcaLA, but the family must pay them first and will then be reimbursed.

"I believe this demonstrates seizure of property and the agency should be responsible for treatment. Forcing the owner to pay for vet care and submit a claim is unfair," said spcaLA President, Madeline Bernstein. "When an officer shoots a family dog, it is traumatic for everyone - the officer, the dog, the family, and the community - let's help them all heal by providing for Kush's care."

The veterinarian said the dog is recovering, but noted that it was difficult to treat the animal because it was acting aggressive toward caregivers.

No officers or other people were harmed during the incident.

The spcaLA believes authorities could have avoided the situation and those officers could have called animal control to safely detain the dog while they searched the home.

"Allowing an animal to suffer and bleed without providing medical attention is inhumane," the organization said in a press release.

The incident remained under investigation.