A Creve Coeur police officer shot a charging dog Wednesday morning.

A resident of the 100 block of Virginia called authorities around 7:45 a.m. to report two large dogs were running loose. The resident indicated the dogs were Mastiffs and one was aggressive.

In a press release police chief Dale King says a 240-pound Mastiff charged an unnamed officer while he was on the phone with the dogs’ owner. The officer fired four shots to stop the charging animal.

The dog, named Theo, was taken to a Pekin animal clinic by Tazewell County Animal Control. Creve Coeur police report Theo was declared vicious after attacking a female in an earlier incident in the same block.

Dogs deemed vicious in Creve Coeur must be on a leash at all times when outdoors.