In a shocking incident that occurred in the Mid-City area of Los Angeles, three pit bulls attacked a 77-year-old man named Jose Rodriguez while he was walking near his home. Surveillance footage captures the terrifying moment when the dogs surrounded him, with at least one grabbing his leg and another jumping on him. Jose’s screams for help can be heard in the footage, depicting a distressing scene.
Lupita Rodriguez, Jose’s daughter, described the brutal nature of the attack, stating that the dogs targeted him from the waist down. “My father was holding onto a fence, trying to get up and climb as high as he could, but the dogs pulled him down,” she explained, emphasizing the severity of his injuries, which left his leg nearly torn apart.
Lupita also pointed out that there was no one with the dogs at the time of the attack. “The dogs weren’t leashed and were completely unsupervised,” she said. Following the incident, Jose was hospitalized and is now facing surgery for his tendons and ligaments. Lupita expressed concern about the risks posed to smaller individuals or children, noting that if the dogs targeted a neck area, it could lead to life-threatening situations. This isn’t an isolated incident; neighbors have reported similar aggressive behavior from the dogs in the past. Miguel Jara, a resident on the same street, shared that he had also been bitten by the dogs.
The dogs’ owner, Heidi Hernandez, expressed her sorrow over the injuries caused but insisted that her dogs are not aggressive. She mentioned that one of the dogs serves as an emotional support animal for her disabled brother, while the other two belonged to her late sister, and she has been helping to care for them. Hernandez claimed that she and her dogs have been harassed by neighbors and accused Jose of attacking her dogs, which caused them to retaliate. However, Jose maintained that he did not attack the dogs and was simply trying to fend them off during the assault.
In the aftermath of the incident, Hernandez is now responsible for covering all of Jose’s medical expenses. Legal analyst Allison Triessl remarked that this attack might lead to criminal charges against the dog owner. Currently, animal control authorities have taken the three dogs for evaluation.
