A tense evening along the Los Angeles River escalated when a Long Beach police officer opened fire at an aggressive dog Tuesday, according to city police. Neither the officer nor the animal was injured, and Animal Control teams were called to the scene. The run-in came just days after a separate mauling on the same riverside path left a woman seriously hurt.
The officer fired to stop an attack
According to the Long Beach Post, the shooting unfolded at about 5:10 p.m. near where the 405 Freeway crosses the Los Angeles River. Police said the officer was out on an unspecified investigation when he encountered an aggressive dog that tried to bite him. The officer fired toward the animal to stop the attack, but the dog was not hit and did not bite the officer, the Post reported.
Earlier mauling on the river path
Days before the officer-involved incident, a different dog attack on the same riverfront walking path sent a woman to a trauma center with serious injuries to her arm and leg, according to CBS Los Angeles. In that case, officers used a baton strike and a conducted electrical weapon to separate the dog from the victim. Animal Control later captured one of the dogs after a drone helped track it down.
What the law says
Under California Civil Code §3342, dog owners can be held strictly liable if their animals injure someone who is lawfully on public or private property, with only limited exceptions. That standard allows injured people to sue even if an owner had no prior indication that the dog might be dangerous.
Long Beach police said Animal Control responded to the officer's encounter with the dog, but it was not immediately clear whether the animal was ultimately captured. The department characterized the gunfire as an effort to prevent injury, the Long Beach Post reported. Police have not released further information, and the incident remains under review.
