At least one dog was reportedly shot by U.S. Mint police following what is described as an attack this morning before 7am.
Witness and former Hoodline contributor Meaghan C., who was chased by the dogs moments before they were shot, recounted her experience this morning to Hoodline:
"I was running to the gym around 5:45am this morning. When I turned onto Hermann from Webster two pit bulls started chasing after me. I was caught off guard and ran into the street but they didn't follow me. It looked like the two dogs — one was white, the other darker (maybe brown) had come from a home but I looked back and didn't see an owner with them. I heard them because of their chains so they did have collars.
"Not more than 2 minutes later I heard three consecutive shots (I kept running down Church Street). It seemed much farther away but I guess not! It was right in that intersection.
"When I came back from the gym at 7 I talked to the police there who said the U.S. Mint police had been attacked by the dogs. One of the dogs was shot in the leg. They asked me a few questions but nothing too serious. Animal Care & Control passed by me not two minutes later."
The scene had been taped off by police at 6:57am, as reported by witness Paul Supawanich on Twitter:
So this doesn't look good... Fillmore and Waller. Neighbor thought she heard gunshots around 6am? @HoodlineSF pic.twitter.com/p9ptHuQvKu
— Paul Supawanich (@tweetsupa) July 21, 2015
U.S. Mint police regularly patrol the area around the massive facility at 155 Hermann St., but this is the first we've heard of an actual shooting involving Mint officers.
We've contacted both SFPD and the U.S. Mint for additional information and will update this story as we learn more.
Update 9:16am: U.S. Mint spokesman Tom Jurkowsky told us via phone this morning that the dogs had been attacking several passersby in the area, including one Mint employee. Jurkowsky cautioned that the incident is still being investigated by SFPD, but shared the following details:
"There was a dog that was apparently attacking a [female Mint employee] who supposedly tried to fight off the dog with a cane. After going after her, the dog went after another individual, possibly a homeless individual. And then it went after a jogger, and then a police officer. Then one of our police officers who patrol that area during transit times (when people are coming into work) shot the dog in the leg."Jurkowsky says that the Mint employee was not injured. He added that to his knowledge this kind of incident, involving an S.F. Mint officer discharging a weapon, had never happened before.
Update 12:50pm: The Chronicle's Vivian Ho has more details on the dogs, Blue and Luna, who had run off from their home on Hermann Street around 6am. Blue's owner Dirk Tacke describes him as a puppy who has a habit of playfully "hopping" at people, which may have been mistaken as aggression. An Animal Care and Control spokeswoman tells Ho that Blue, the dog that was shot by Mint police, is likely to survive, though his leg may have to be amputated.
