Pit Bull Attacks 17-Year-Old Girl, Dog Bite Triggers 'Cardiac Event,' Mother Claims

A pit bull attacked a 17-year-old girl in Jacksonville, Florida, while she was walking with her friend. As a result of the dog bite, the teenager suffered a cardiac event and remains in intensive care at Wolfson Children’s Hospital, the girl's mother claimed.

According to local media, the incident took place last week outside Diamond Jones' apartment complex in Arlington. The mother told media that the girl was walking with a friend when the dog, running loose in the area, attacked her.

The "pit bull attacked my daughter and she has a nice little gash in her foot. They called me and her friend told me she had just got bitten by the pit bull,” Diamond's mother, Shalene Jones, told News4Jax.

Shalene said paramedics were called following the incident and they treated the wound on her daughter’s foot. However, just 30 minutes later her daughter had an asthmatic episode that triggered a cardiac event.

“She ended up going into cardiac arrest and having an asthma attack," she said. "They revived her, got her to the hospital. Since Thursday she’s been in ICU, and they can’t figure out if she’s going to come out of this or not."

Shalene said the animal was responsible for her daughter's health condition and she wants the dog's owner to be punished.

"I feel like if it wasn’t for her (the owner) dog being out... my daughter wouldn’t be in this situation right now,” Shalene said, adding that she was also upset because police released the dog back to the owner.

“And I’m trying to figure out why. Why does she still have this dog? Why did this dog not get put down? This is a vicious dog,” she said.

According to the city of Jacksonville, there was an active investigation into the incident. It remains unclear if the dog owner will be charged.

Pit bull dogs are known to be ferocious and have been involved in several unprovoked attacks, some of which have also been fatal.

Earlier this week, an elderly woman was hospitalized after three pit bulls escaped from a mobile home and attacked her publicly in Brooksville, Florida. The dogs had viciously bitten the woman on both legs. The owner surrendered his dogs for euthanasia.