A San Diego police officer shot and killed a man’s dog early Monday morning while investigating claims that the man was beaten and robbed of his truck.

According to San Diego police, the man contacted police sometime before 1 a.m. and claimed that he had been attacked by a group of men. The victim told police they swiped his keys and used them to steal his pickup truck.

San Diego police responded to the man’s home. At some point, an officer came across the man’s dog in the yard, felt threatened and shot and killed the dog.

"The officer had been around that yard while they were investigating a crime, so it came as a total shock,” SDPD Lt. Christian Sharp said. “Unfortunately, when the gate locked behind the officer, it was a very small area by the porch, the officer had nowhere to go."

The circumstances of the attack and truck robbery were not immediately confirmed.