16 February 2024
LOS ANGELES (KTLA) — A chaotic and gruesome scene unfolded in California on Friday morning when a man was mauled to death by dogs in the backyard of a Compton home.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, deputies, firefighters and animal control responded to a home around 7 a.m. after a concerned friend visited the property and discovered the man’s body.
Investigators believe the attack occurred Thursday evening between 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.
“He was feeding the dogs at which point maybe there was an altercation between some of the dogs and [they] ultimately attacked and mauled the victim,” said Michael Gomez with LASD’s Homicide Bureau.
Helicopter footage from Nexstar’s KTLA shows where the victim, a 35-year-old man who neighbors say lived alone, succumbed to his injuries inside one of several kennels in the backyard.
Authorities were seen on the roof of the home trying to corral at least five dogs, all believed to be pit bulls or pit bull mixes. Firefighters helped a woman climb out of the yard to safety as the agitated dogs ran loose and were even attacking each other, helicopter video showed.
Investigators said the victim, whose identity was not immediately released, was caring for as many as 13 dogs on the property, and they appeared to be in good health. It was unknown if he was breeding them.
His identity was not immediately released.
“It sucks that it brings awareness from a death,” Damian Wesley, with Compton Animal Rescue, told KTLA. “I hope that awareness is spread that people need to take great care of their dogs. People need to understand that these dogs can kill somebody and hurt people.”
Many California cities have passed ordinances banning the ownership of unneutered or unspayed pit bulls. Compton is not among them.
California does not have any statewide breed-specific dog bans.