Pit Bulls ‘Viciously Attacked' Man, Injured 2 Others, Tasered By Police

Two pit bulls attacked two men in Indian Trail, North Carolina, leaving one of them hospitalized on Thursday.

A man was visiting a friend, whose house was located in the 6600 block of 1st Avenue in Indian Trail, when he was “viciously attacked” by the dogs around 4:15 a.m. EST. The homeowner tried to intervene in order to save his friend, but he too was bitten on the arm. Somehow, he managed to dial 911 after getting out of the house, Fox 46 reported.

When the authorities arrived, they found the homeowner standing outside the house with minor injuries and found the first victim, still being attacked by the dogs when they went inside the residence.

Upon seeing the police swarm the house, both dogs stopped attacking the man and charged at the policemen instead. One of the pit bulls even bit one of the officers on the arm, who tried to use a pole lying nearby to stop the attack. According to the sheriff’s office, the other police man was forced to use the Taser on the animal to keep it from attacking them.

Although it was reported that the officers used deadly force on the dogs, no other description of any other kind of force beside the Taser was mentioned.

"This gentleman inside could have been killed. At the time they responded he was pretty much defenseless at this point, so they did everything they could to get the dog off of him," said Tony Underwood with the Union County Sheriff's Office.

All three of them were transported to two different facilities run by the Carolinas Medical Center. The first victim sustained extensive bites to his face and head, which the Union County Sheriff’s Office called “life altering” injuries. He was in a serious condition and remained hospitalized.

While the homeowner suffered a bite to his left arm, the deputy was treated for a minor wound from the attack. The officer was released from hospital on Thursday. No word on whether the homeowner was released.

It is unclear as to what caused the pit bulls to attack the men. According to neighbor Graham Linger, the dogs that attacked the men were usually friendly. "I woke up to four gunshots and then three more and then probably about a 10 second pause and then another 1," said Linger, ABC-affiliated WSO CTV reported.

No charges have been filed against anyone for the incident as the police continues to investigate.

In another instance on Sunday, Walter Haller fatally shot his own pet pit bull out of fear, that it would attack children in a park. The Connecticut man later told authorities that he took matters into his own hands, after he saw the dog attacking another canine that was being walked in Pine Rock Park, seriously injuring it.

Haller said that the dog, which had been victimized by his pit bull, was in company of three children, which made him concerned about the safety of the kids. Worrying that his pet would target the children next, he pulled out his licensed .22-caliber handgun and shot the pit bull.