Mother, 2 Children Attacked By Rottweiler In Queens
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A mother and her two children were attacked and mauled by a stray Rottweiler Saturday morning in Queens.
At first, the dog attacked the woman's 4-year-old daughter before turning its attention on her.
"It was a kind of shrieking, kind of screaming going on," Jaan Kangur said.
It was that screaming that brought neighbors, including Kangur, and police to residential Beach Front Drive near the Beach 60th Street playground in Arverne.
"I was on the phone with 911, saw that the dog at that point was actually attacking the mom, I guess she was trying to get the dog off. The dog was biting the mom very hard, gnawing on her arm, not letting go," Fatin told Baumgarten.
Fatin and her friend Victoria heard the trio's screams and called for help, 1010 WINS's Gary Baumgarten reported.
Police say when officers arrived, a 31-year-old woman was down on the snow-covered ground with a Rottweiler on her back pinning her down.
Her 10-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter were nearby bleeding and watching helplessly, Carlin reported.
The dog had no leash, no collar and no owner in sight, Carlin reported.
"I heard someone saying shoot the dog, shoot the dog and I heard one shot," Kangur said.
He told CBS2 he thinks the officer had no choice but to kill the dog because he watched them try but fail to get the dog away from the injured woman.
Police say the mother has deep wounds to her face and hands, the daughter had bites to her hand and the son had a bite on his forearm.
"I saw somebody carry a little girl in the snow jacket to the ambulance so I'm assuming she was hurt first and the mom helped her and in trying to help her, the dog turned onto the mom," Kangur said.
The dog's owner has not yet been found.
The sidewalk was a bloody mess from the woman's wounds.
All three were taken to Jamaica Hospital for treatment, Baumgarten reported.