In a shocking incident in the Mid-City area of Los Angeles, three pit bulls attacked a 77-year-old man, Jose Rodriguez, while he was walking near his home. Surveillance footage captured the terrifying moment as the dogs surrounded Rodriguez, biting his legs and causing him to scream for help. His family describes the injuries as severe, stating that “his entire leg was nearly torn apart by the dogs.”
Lupita Rodriguez, Jose’s daughter, recounted the horrific details of the attack. “The dogs cornered my father and attacked him from the waist down,” she explained. “He was trying to grab the fence to stand up, hoping to get as high as possible, but the dogs pulled him down and savaged his leg.”
Lupita emphasized that when the attack occurred, no one was with the dogs, and they were not leashed or supervised. After suffering multiple bites, Rodriguez was rushed to the hospital where he faces surgery for tendon and ligament damage. She voiced her concerns that if a small child or someone shorter had been in the same situation, the consequences could have been fatal, given how the dogs could target vulnerable areas like the neck.
This wasn’t an isolated incident; neighbors have reported previous attacks by these dogs. Miguel Jara, another resident on the street, shared his own experience of being bitten by the same dogs.
The dogs’ owner, Heidi Hernandez, expressed her sorrow over the attack but insists that her pets are not aggressive. She described one dog as an emotional support animal for her disabled brother, while the other two were pets of her late sister. Hernandez claims she and her dogs have been harassed by neighbors and alleges that Rodriguez provoked the dogs, saying he hit them, which led to their aggressive behavior. However, Rodriguez denies having attacked the dogs, stating he was only trying to fend them off during their assault.
As a result of the attack, Hernandez will be responsible for covering all of Rodriguez’s medical expenses. Legal analyst Allison Triessl mentioned that this incident could potentially lead to criminal charges against Hernandez. Currently, Animal Control has taken the three dogs for assessment following the brutal attack.
