MANCHESTER, N.H. (WHDH) - A Manchester, New Hampshire man shot and injured a pit bull on Sunday after police say the dog attacked and repeatedly bit him while he was taking his dog for a walk.

Officers responding to a 911 call on Bowman Street around 1:12 p.m. found 67-year-old Carlos Ryan with wounds to his right arm and an injured American pit bull, according to a release issued by police.

Ryan told police he had just left his house to take his dog for a walk when he saw a “large, aggressive” dog running toward him.

Ryan said he jumped in to protect his dog and the pit bull latched onto his arm and pulled him to the ground.

“I ran over and I grab his little dog, because I figured that was what caused the incident,” witness Steve Bouldoc said. “I brought his dog in and by the time I came out that is when I heard the gunshot.”

The dog released his arm long enough for him to try to escape but when the dog started to attack again he told police he took out his handgun and shot the dog once.

“I am not going to wait until I’m freaking dead if he jumps up at my neck and does what he did to my arm at my neck,” Ryan said. “So I took out my gun and shot the freaking thing.”

The man was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The pit bull was transported to a local veterinary hospital and its condition is unknown at this time.

“I don’t know how but I kept my wits about me,” Ryan said. “I was not going to be killed by some stupid pit bull.”

Manchester police are investigating the incident.

(Copyright (c) 2020 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)