12-Year-Old Banning Boy Suffers Serious Injuries In Dog Attack

BANNING, CA — A dog attack Tuesday in Banning left a 12-year-old boy with serious injuries, and two men were being heralded for saving the child from the animal's grip, according to an official.

The attack by the 10-year-old female pit bull was reported shortly before 6 p.m. inside a fenced property in the 1500 block of North Alessandro Street, according to Riverside County Animal Services spokesperson John Welsh.

The boy lives at the property and had played with the dog in the past, witnesses told Animal Services officer Carra Mathewson.

The attack happened as two men working to change a truck battery next door heard what sounded like a pig squealing, Mathewson said. They ran over to check and saw the dog holding onto the boy’s right arm, and a woman hitting the animal with a broom, according to reports from the scene.

One of the men reached over the short fence to grab the dog’s hind legs, while the other man put his arms around the animal’s neck. The dog finally released the child, according to Welsh.

“These men likely saved this boy’s life,” Mathewson said. “One of the men told me the dog was attacking the boy in a manner that appeared the dog was trying to eat the kid. The other man said the dog looked like it was not going to stop attacking. I sincerely believe their actions were heroic.”

Just before the attack, the men were about to leave — which could have changed the outcome if they were not around.

“They needed to head back to the auto parts store and were moments from leaving,” Mathewson said.

Emergency responders took the boy to Riverside University Health System Medical Center in Moreno Valley to treat severe wounds on his right arm and right leg, Welsh said.

It is believed the child was released from the hospital, Welsh added.

Mathewson took the dog to the Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms. The animal's owner was contacted (he was not home during the attack). According to Welsh, the owner wants to keep the dog, so a hearing will be scheduled.

The dog was not spayed.

Along with animal services, the Banning Police Department was at the scene.