LAPD officer shoots two dogs while responding to call in downtown LA

A Los Angeles Police Department officer shot two dogs while responding to a call in downtown Los Angeles on Monday, sparking outrage amongst community activists. 

Cellphone footage of the incident shows the moment that the officer fired off five shots after a dog allegedly bit them. They were in the area of Pico Boulevard and Paloma Street to break up a fight. 

Two dogs — both pit bulls — were struck by the gunfire and taken away by the Los Angeles County Animal Care in unknown condition. 

During the weekly police commission meeting on Tuesday, LAPD Chief Michel Moore spoke on the incident, saying that the dogs had allegedly attacked a person just hours earlier. 

"These two dogs were responsible for attacking a female the night before, in which that instance she sustained serious bodily injuries," Moore said. 

Activists say that the entire incident just highlights a bigger issue in Los Angeles: the city's neglect of abandoned and abused dogs. 

"If LA Animal Services and LAPD would've went down there and saved those dogs, this would not have happened," said Rebecca Corry, the Executive Director of the Stand Up For Pitts Foundation.

Corry notes that neighbors in the area had complained about the two dogs on several instances prior to Monday. 

"It's awful and sad. This man who works down there tried calling LAPD and Animal Care and Control 15 times over the past three months trying to get help for those dogs," she said.

Animal Services says they've met with Stand Up For Pitts in hopes of coming up with a plan to mobilize resources. 

The officer in the incident was hospitalized for treatment and released on Monday.