A recently retired police dog from the Long Beach (CA) Police Department mauled and dragged a 20-year-old man after he gave it a bowl of water.
The attack occurred about 11 p.m. Sunday when the man spotted the stray German shepherd wandering in an Eastvale neighborhood, according to John Welsh, spokesman for the county Animal Services Department.
The dog drank from the bowl, then placed its paws on the victim’s chest. That’s when the dog attacked the man and took a bite out of his left bicep. The man also suffered bites to his left leg and ankle.
The dog then dragged the man into the street, Welsh said.
As the victim screamed for help, friends and relatives tried punching and kicking the police dog.
But the animal refused to release the man from his grip.
The family became desperate, he said, so some of them grabbed steak knives from inside the home and started stabbing the dog until it let go.
The dog was euthanized because of the severity of its injuries.
Once named Thor, the German shepherd served with the Long Beach Police Department, joining the department in 2009 when he was 2.
Thor retired in April because of his age and medical issues, she said. A Long Beach police officer, not his former handler, adopted the dog after it retired.
