A library security guard was attacked by a dog while trying to administer Narcan to its unresponsive owner in San Francisco Sunday - as crime and fatal overdoses in the city continue to surge.
Security guards at the city's Main Library noticed the man slumped over a computer kiosk around 5.40 pm with his dog repeatedly barking beside him. Kate Patterson, a spokesperson for the library, said the dog 'was not on a leash and was exhibiting aggressive behavior.'
When the guards approached the man to determine if he had overdosed on opioids and needed Narcan, the dog 'would not let them near him,' Patterson told KTVU.
Witnesses captured on video the harrowing moment the pit bull lunged at one of the guards, grabbing his arm in its jaws and pulling him to the ground.
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Witnesses captured the harrowing moment the dog lunged at one of the guards, grabbing hold of his arm in its jaws and pulling him to the ground
As the dog viciously shakes the arm, the guard tries to punch the animal with his free hand. As an onlooker shouts 'get 'im!' another guard sprays a substance at its face and beats it with his belt
As the dog viciously shakes his arm, the guard yells in pain and tries to punch the animal with his free hand. Another guard shoots pepper spray at the dog's face and beats it with his night stick. A third security guard appears to rush over to help.
'Hit him, hit him,' one guard can be heard screaming.
The dog's owner was unresponsive during the attack, until another witness woke him.
'Once alert, he was able to get control of the dog, who he claimed was a service animal. The patron was uncooperative and argumentative with staff following the incident,' the library said in a statement to KTVU.
Currently, the security guard is hospitalized with serious injuries, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The dog was taken by Animal Control, and its owner was issued a citation from the sheriff's department. The nine-year-old neutered pitbull named Dorje was a service animal, according to KTVU, and therefore allowed inside.
The animal's fate has yet to be decided - after spending ten days quarantined at the San Francisco Department of Animal Care and Control to ensure it does not have rabies, the San Francisco Police Department will conduct a hearing to determine whether it should be put down.
Deb Campbell, a spokeswoman for the Department of Animal Care and Control, told the Chronicle that 'so far, he's been calm' in her care.
The library said in a statement that it is reviewing its policy and plans to give its security staff resources to help them deescalate situations with aggressive dogs. It did not elaborate on the types of resources.
'The safety of our patrons and staff are of the utmost importance, and we are doing
