Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies were arresting a grand theft suspect near the Sunland Park Recreation Center Thursday afternoon when the woman's pit bull attacked them, and a deputy opened fire on the animal after a Taser failed to stop it. The dog survived and was taken to a veterinary hospital for treatment.
The confrontation began around 4 p.m. in the 8100 block of Foothill Boulevard, where deputies spotted the suspect before she tried to flee on foot into the park, according to CBS News Los Angeles. As deputies moved to take the woman into custody, her pit bull attacked and attempted to bite them. A deputy first tried to deploy a Taser to stop the dog, but when that failed, another deputy shot the animal.
Sheriff's Captain Praises De-Escalation Attempt
Crescenta Valley Station Captain Ryan Vienna commended the deputies for trying non-lethal means before resorting to the firearm, the station's report notes. Detective Salvador Ponce asked that any witnesses to the incident contact investigators at (818) 248-3464. The Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Fire Department both provided mutual aid and emergency scene assistance to the Sheriff's Department during and after the incident, per the same account.
Although Sunland sits within the City of Los Angeles, unincorporated foothill communities nearby fall under the jurisdiction of the LASD Crescenta Valley Station, based in La Crescenta, which serves a population of more than 45,000 residents, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. That station's coverage area spans La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, and parts of the Angeles National Forest.
What Grand Theft Charges Could Mean
The suspect was arrested on suspicion of grand theft, a charge that carries significant weight under California law. Under Penal Code Section 487, grand theft applies when stolen property exceeds $950 in value or involves items like motor vehicles or firearms, according to the Shouse Law Group. The offense is a so-called wobbler, meaning prosecutors can pursue it as a misdemeanor carrying up to a year in county jail, or as a felony carrying up to three years in state prison.
A Recurring Pattern Across the Valley
The Sunland Park shooting adds to a string of officer-involved dog shootings across the San Fernando Valley in recent months. In April, an LAPD officer fatally shot a dog in Sun Valley after it bit him during a traffic stop that also turned up recovered firearms and explosives. That same month, an LAPD officer fired at a dog during a homeless encampment cleanup near Montague Street in Pacoima after the animal bit both an officer and a resident. In June, the LAPD released body-camera footage showing an officer shooting and killing a resident's dog in Canoga Park while responding to a noise complaint that turned out to be neighbors celebrating a basketball victory.
The pattern extends beyond city police as well; in May, a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy shot a homeowner's Rottweiler during a stolen vehicle investigation. Nationally, U.S. Department of Justice figures cited by law enforcement researchers estimate that police officers shoot and kill an estimated 25 to 30 dogs per day, amounting to roughly 10,000 canine deaths annually, according to Newsweek.
The suspect's identity, the specific property allegedly stolen, and the pit bull's long-term medical prognosis have not been released. The Sheriff's Department's administrative review of the deputy's decision to fire is also still pending, and investigators continue to seek witnesses to the Thursday confrontation near Foothill Boulevard.
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