Taunton Woman Attacked by Six Pit Bulls

TAUNTON — A Taunton woman is recovering after being attacked by a pack of pit bulls earlier this week.

A Taunton Police officer was patrolling the area near 187 Broadway at around 8:45 p.m. on Wednesday when he saw a woman running in the middle of the street. The officer turned and saw a pack of six pit bulls chase and attack the 51-year-old woman.

The officer immediately pulled his cruiser over and exited the vehicle to assist the woman. As he approached the dogs, several of them turned to his direction as if they were going to attack him.

Because the dogs were so close to the woman, the officer was unable to safely fire his gun at any of the dogs without injuring the woman who was still under attack. The officer instead retreated to his cruiser and activated the sirens and air horn in an attempt to distract the pit bulls.

The dogs were distracted by the noises long enough for the woman to be safely escorted to the cruiser by the officer and a nearby 53-year-old Raynham man.

The woman was transported to Rhode Island Hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The good Samaritan from Raynham was also bitten by one of the dogs. He drove himself to an area hospital to be treated for an injury to his leg.

The owner of the pit bulls, a 36-year-old Taunton man, arrived on the scene and attempted to get the dogs under control. As he did, several of the dogs attempted to jump through the police officer's driver's side window. The officer rolled up his window to avoid being bitten. The dogs were eventually brought back to the man's home.

The owner later told police that one of his dogs had escaped his house as he opened the front door. As he was trying to retrieve the animal, the other five dogs pushed through the door and immediately began chasing the female victim.

All six dogs have been seized by Taunton Animal Control and will be quarantined. The owner will be summonsed for a hearing to determine the outcome of the incident.

Taunton Police say the incident remains under investigation.