Linh Ta | The Des Moines Register

A Des Moines police officer shot and killed a dog after it turned on him while he was responding to an animal attack at 3210 East Clinton Ave.

Des Moines police received a call about a 49-year-old woman who was being attacked by her dog around noon on Friday. The woman was moving the dog from her garage to another location when it "turned on her" and began "an unprovoked and unexpected attack," said Sgt. Paul Parizek, spokesman for Des Moines Police.

"Very vicious and violent," Parizek said. "It was a bloodbath up there."

Witnesses inside the home tried to distract the dog from the woman by banging on the windows while she attempted to get inside the house. However, the dog continued to attack her, Parizek said.

When the responding officer arrived, he drove through the yard and used his emergency lights and sirens to distract the dog. That was when the dog "turned on him" and Mark Chapman, a senior police officer, fired two shots. The dog continued and he fired two more rounds and killed it, Parizek said.

The woman is receiving surgery at a hospital for serious bite wounds on her arm and abdomen. Her injuries were not life-threatening.

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"Without a doubt, that police officer saved her life," Parizek said. "We have a lot of resources available to us to handle animals, but in this situation, there was no other option."

Witnesses who called the police said the dog that attacked the woman was a pit bull. A veterinarian will have to confirm the breed of the dog, Parizek said.