One of two pit bulls who mauled a man in his 70s last weekend allegedly bit another person in 2016, a county official said Tuesday.

The victim was walking along El Cajon Boulevard near College Boulevard in the San Diego community of Rolando Sunday evening when the dogs attacked, said Dan DeSousa, director of the county’s animal services department.

The animals bit both the man’s arms and legs and he was taken to a hospital with “substantial injuries,” DeSousa said.

Witnesses who helped scare the animals away told investigators the pit bulls ran to a nearby property after the attack, but the dogs weren’t there when animal control officers arrived, officials said.


Hours later, police officers found the animals running free in National City, captured them and brought them to a shelter in Chula Vista.

1 / 7 Two pit bulls, Goldy (left) and Ace (right) sit in quarantine at the County of San Diego Animal Services where at the end of the quarantine the dogs will be euthanize at the request of the owner. The dogs were quarantined after they attacked and severely injured a man walking. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 2 / 7 Goldy is one of the two pit bulls placed in quarantine at the County of San Diego Animal Services where at the end of the quarantine he and the other pit bull will be euthanize at the request of the owner. Goldy along with another pit bull were quarantined after they attacked and severely injured a man walking. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 3 / 7 Ace is one of the two pit bulls along with Goldy that was placed in quarantine at the County of San Diego Animal Services. The two pit bulls were quarantined after they attacked and severely injured a man walking. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 4 / 7 Goldy is one of the two pit bulls placed in quarantine at the County of San Diego Animal Services where at the end of the quarantine he and the other pit bull will be euthanize at the request of the owner. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 5 / 7 Goldy is one of the two pit bulls placed in quarantine at the County of San Diego Animal Services where at the end of the quarantine he and the other pit bull will be euthanize at the request of the owner. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 6 / 7 Two pit bulls, Goldy (left) and Ace (right) sit in quarantine at the County of San Diego Animal Services where at the end of the quarantine the dogs will be euthanize at the request of the owner. The dogs were quarantined after they attacked and severely injured a man walking. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 7 / 7 Goldy is one of the two pit bulls placed in quarantine at the County of San Diego Animal Services. Goldy along with another pit bull were quarantined after they attacked and severely injured a man walking. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune)

Later, animal control officers relocated the pit bulls to a shelter on Gaines Street where it was determined that one of the dogs — named Ace — was microchipped. The address on Ace’s chip was the same location the animals ran to after the attack, DeSousa said.

Ace, who is about 4 years old, has had run-ins with animal control officers before.


In December 2016, he reportedly bit someone. Then, in Oct. 2017, he was impounded as a stray. The other pit bull, a male named Goldy, doesn’t have a history of violence. He’s around 1 year old.

On Tuesday, the victim identified Ace and Goldy as the dogs who attacked him.

DeSousa said the county has “initiated the process to declare the two dogs to be dangerous,” a label that can be applied to any dog that attacks or seriously injures a person who is engaged in lawful activity.

Ultimately, the county plans to euthanize the animals, he said. Getting to that point could take weeks if the owner objects.


Twitter: @LAWinkley


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lyndsay.winkley@sduniontribune.com