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Crime & Safety

Man Mauled By Pit Bull in South Norwalk

Owner surrenders dog to city as uncontrollable. It will be euthanized Tuesday afternoon.

A city man was mauled by a pit bull in South Norwalk Monday evening and police said the dog had to be shot four times with Taser stun guns to get it to break off its attack.

The 60-year-old man was standing on the sidewalk in front of 2 Hanford Pl. shortly after 6 p.m. when the dog charged him and bit his left ankle. Police said when they arrived, his ankle was bitten down to the bone, he had puncture wounds on his left leg and arm, and he was bleading profusely.

The man jumped over a fence and onto the front lawn of the home at 2 Hanford Pl. with the dog still clamped onto his leg, police said. Two women sitting on the front porch attempted to save the man by striking the dog with various objects.

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An officer shot the dog with a Taser gun, but it had no effect. The dog was shot a second time with a Taser, but she continued biting the man. She was tased a third time which caused her to briefly fall to the ground before resuming her attack. After tasing her a fourth time, she relented and ran away.

Police said the white and tan female pit bull is owned by Nicole Hoyt of 5 Hanford Pl. She told officers she was walking Samantha, who attacked the man, and her other pit bull, Layla, when they overpowered her and broke free.

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The city's assistant Animal Control Officer, Robert Sirico, came to the scene. Hoyt allegedly told him she could no longer control Samantha and signed a form transferring her ownership to the city.

Police spokeswoman Sgt. Lisa Cotto said Sirico determined Samantha is current on her vaccinations. She said a veterinarian would euthanize her Tuesday afternoon.

Hoyt, 33, was charged with a first offense of owning or harboring a dog to create a nuisance, which imposes a fine of $150. She is scheduled to be in court Aug. 17.

Police were called to Hoyt's residence on July 9 after Samantha repeatedly bit her and a man with whom she had been having an argument. At that time, an Animal Control Officer gained control of the dog by shooting her with a transquilizer dart.

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