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Salinas Police Shoot, Kill Pit Bull

SALINAS (CBS SF) -- Salinas police said they shot and killed a pit bull that attacked an officer on Saturday after receiving complaints about loose dogs in Central Park.

Police said they began receiving calls about two loose, vicious pit bulls in Central Park shortly before 7:30 a.m.

An officer responding the scene was directed by people in the park to the area of Villa and Archer streets, where he got out of his patrol car to search for the dogs.

As people in the area began yelling to warn the officer, one of the dogs charged him, police said. The officer fired several times to defend himself, striking the dog in the torso.

The dog was picked up by animal control and transported for medical treatment, but had to be destroyed, police said. The second dog ran north on Villa, and has not been located.

The dogs' owner was contacted, and several neighbors reported that they had had problems with the dogs. In addition, one of the people who initially reported the dogs in the park said that they had attacked his dog, who had required treatment by a veterinarian, police said.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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