An Anne Arundel County police officer shot two dogs that were attacking a child Saturday evening in Pasadena, police said.
Police received a call at 5:37 p.m. from a woman who was "screaming" for help, Lt. James Fredericks said. The woman's two American bulldogs were attacking her 7-year-old nephew, whom she was baby-sitting, Fredericks said.
An officer arrived at the home in the 3400 block of Barnsley Court roughly two minutes later and discovered the attack still in progress inside the house, he said.
The woman "was trying to protect the child, but the dogs were still attacking," Fredericks said.
The officer shot one of the dogs, causing the other to retreat into the house. When the officer started to follow that dog, it turned on him, Fredericks said. The officer then shot the second dog. It is unclear how many shots were fired.
When emergency personnel arrived, they found the child had suffered extensive injuries. A landing zone was set up at Jacobsville Elementary School and the child was transported by helicopter to Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore. No additional information on his condition was available.
The woman who reported the attack received minor injuries, but declined medical treatment, Fredericks said. The officer wasn't injured.
The county's Animal Control Office responded to the scene and planned to euthanize the dogs Saturday night, police said.
"It was a pretty traumatic experience for everybody," Fredericks said.
This wasn't the first serious dog attack in the county this year.
On Nov. 21, an 89-year-old Pasadena woman had to be hospitalized after a pit bull mauled her arm while she was in her fenced yard.
In July, a 27-year-old man walking along Dicus Mill Road in Gambrills was injured when he was attacked by a dog weighing about 100 pounds. Witnesses said the dog appeared to be a pit bull and German shepherd mix.
In June, a 9-year-old boy was hospitalized after being bitten by a pit bull in Severna Park. And in May, another 9-year-old boy was taken to the hospital after being bitten on the leg by a pit bull in Pasadena.
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