The pitbull shot to death by an Elgin police officer last week charged several other people before viciously mauling its owners as they tried to capture it, police records show.
Elgin police received six 911 calls in reference to the dog about 5 p.m. July 25 in the 900 block of High Street, according to information obtained through a Freedom of Information request.
The incident began when the couple’s young son accidentally let the 5-year-old dog out of the house and its owners, a man and woman, tried to retrieve it.
Witnesses told police the dog initially tried to attack another dog and then went up a neighboring porch, where a woman managed to get herself and several children inside the house before it reached them. The animal then went toward two men, who climbed atop a car to escape it.
When the 28-year-old male owner arrived, he was able to get a leash on the dog but it became aggressive while they were walking home and attacked him. He was able to free himself from the dog’s bite and jumped on top of a car, reports said.
The woman, also 28, then tried to grab the dog’s leash, which caused the animal to turn on her. Once it got a lock on her arms, it dragged her halfway up a driveway on High Street and would not respond to neighbors trying to get the dog to release her, reports said.
The first officer on the scene screamed and kicked at the animal but when it wouldn’t let go, he fired his gun at the dog’s rear legs and then at its head as it charged at him, reports said.
Two more officers arrived to assist the first officer as he helped the woman, who required two arm tourniquets to stem the severe bleeding and had wounds on her hands and legs, police said. She was taken to Ascension St. Joseph Hospital in Elgin and later transferred to Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove.
The man needed stitches, which he received at St. Joseph, reports said.
It was the second time the animal had bitten one of its owners. The first incident occurred in December 2020 when police were called to the couple’s home after the dog bit the man and he was forced to stab it with a butcher knife, documents said.
The dog became aggressive when the couple were fighting and latched itself on to the man’s arm, according to the report. The man had to be treated for his injuries at an area hospital and the dog’s stab wound was treated by an Aurora veterinarian.
No charges or complaints were filed in the case and the dog remained with the family.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.