'A Threat To Public Safety': Man Injured After Violent Pit Bull Attack

VALLEY VILLAGE (CBSLA) — A local man was attacked by a pit bull Tuesday night inside his Valley Village apartment complex.

Matthew Gutierrez said he was getting out of an elevator while holding his dog, Milo, when he was attacked by the other dog, which belonged to another tenant.

"The owner was pulling at the leash to get him off..then he eventually let go as soon as he let go, he lunged at me again," Gutierrez said. "I knew I had to do something I just started punching at the nose."

Gutierrez was transported to Sherman Oaks Hospital for treatment, where he said he received 10 stitches. He said he contacted the Los Angeles Police Department immediately following the attack, only to learn that because the incident occurred on private property there was little to be done.

"They said that there is pretty much nothing they could do but investigate," he said, "and you think its going to be handled quickly but I'm learning its not."

Police referred Gutierrez to animal services for investigation.

Though animal services said the owners could have opted to keep the pit bull quarantined for a behavioral analysis, they have decided to put the dog down in light of the attack. Gutierrez said he that is not the outcome he wanted for the pit bull, whose owners said he was a stray they'd recently decided to bring in.

Most of all, Gutierrez said he was surprised that it took several hours for animal services to investigate the situation, prompting him to stay at a friend's home after leaving the hospital due to fear of the dog.

"It was shocking because its a threat to public safety," he said.

When asked about the delayed response, animal services said they did not have the address of the pit bull's owners until around 3 A.M. Wednesday morning.