A woman was left fighting for her life after a massive pit bull viciously mauled her on a San Francisco street Tuesday morning.
The terrifying attack happened around 9:20 a.m. on Larkin Street in the city’s Tenderloin neighborhood, between Eddy and Turk streets.
Police arrived to a gruesome scene, finding the woman on the ground suffering from severe bleeding while the dog stood nearby with blood covering its face.
Video from the scene showed a bystander desperately trying to keep the animal away from the injured woman until police could move in.
An officer eventually used a catch pole to restrain the dog and pull it back.
Once the animal was secured, paramedics rushed to the victim and transported her to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
She remained in critical condition following the attack.
The dog then collapsed at the scene and died before San Francisco Animal Care & Control officers arrived.
Animal control later took possession of the dog’s remains as investigators began trying to determine what may have caused the sudden and violent attack.
Authorities are examining whether the dog may have suffered from an underlying medical problem or been exposed to some type of foreign substance before the incident.
Dr. Thomas Jansen, an emergency veterinarian with MedVet, told KTVU that certain neurological conditions or toxins can cause dramatic and unexpected changes in a dog’s behavior.
“Sometimes in the ER, we see dogs that have altered mentation’s because of either severe neurologic disease or some kind of a toxin that they got into,” Jansen said.
He added that in those situations, animals can act in ways that are completely different from their normal temperament.
Authorities have not determined whether either possibility played a role in the attack or the dog’s sudden death.
Jansen also expressed concern for the woman who was critically injured.
“Just seeing that, I immediately just felt a visceral [sadness] and hope she’s getting the care that’s needed and hope she makes a full recovery,” he said.
The investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to determine exactly what triggered the attack.
