SAN ANTONIO – A “horrific scene” unfolded on the West Side Friday afternoon after a brutal dog attack claimed an elderly man’s life and left three other people injured, officials said.
As of Friday night, San Antonio police confirmed one of the dogs’ owners has been arrested.
Christian Alexander Moreno, 31, is facing a felony charge of attack by dangerous dog causes death and a felony charge of injury to an elderly.
San Antonio Animal Care Services said Friday night that the three dogs involved in the attack were to be euthanized.
The incident happened just before 2 p.m. in the 2800 block of Depla Street, off of Highway 90 and Cupples Road.
When San Antonio fire crews arrived at the scene, they saw an 81-year-old man being dragged on the sidewalk by one of the two dogs involved in the attack.
SAFD Chief Charles Hood said the man was “completely bloody” before crews made their way off of the fire truck.
“This is not something normal for us. We usually don’t show up and have to defend patients from animals or ourselves,” Hood said.
The dogs also confronted firefighters, who had to fight them off with pickaxes and pike poles so they could attend to the victims, Hood said.
One of the fire captains was bit in the leg, but is OK. The dogs also attacked a woman, who was critically injured and another person.
The elderly man was given blood at the scene but later died from his injuries. The woman who was attacked is conscious but has critical injuries, SAFD said.
A third victim was bitten in the hand by one of the dogs. All three people were taken to University Hospital, Hood said.
“Horrific scene, horrific for the people who experienced it and horrific for our firefighters that were part of this,” Hood said.
ACS Director Shannon Sims said the dogs, two females and one male, were involved in another attack two years ago and were previously impounded by the shelter.
Sims said the animal shelter has received calls over the last two years from neighbors regarding the dogs, saying they were estray and neglected.