crime

Couple rattled after using car to rescue man being savaged by pit bulls

Couple rattled after using car to rescue man being savaged by pit bulls

A Broome resident says she is "still shaking" saving a man from a dog attack on her street. The victim was seriously injured, but the animals remained on the loose for hours afterwards.

A man has been left seriously injured after being attacked by multiple dogs in Western Australia's far north.

He was rescued by a couple but it was hours before the animals were contained.

A Shire of Broome spokesperson says the dogs have been euthanased and the incident is under investigation.

Broome residents who saved a man being mauled by a trio of dogs say the experience has left them rattled.

The victim, aged in his 40s, was attacked by three pit bulls in Broome on October 21 and was later flown to Perth with serious injuries.

Miranda Shovellor was sitting outside her home on Streeter Avenue when she heard the man calling for help.

She and her partner Stewart Turner were met with a confronting scene when they went to investigate.

"When I looked at him, he was ripped up," Mr Turner said.

"I couldn't go there and use my hands or rocks."

He used a car to fend off the dogs and drove the man to hospital.

A Department of Health spokesperson said he was discharged on Tuesday evening.

Ms Shovellor said it was lucky she had heard the man's calls for help.

"We would have probably found a body down the road the next morning," she said.

The couple said the dogs had been an issue on their street, including in the hours before the attack.

Ms Shovellor said the dogs had aggressively circled her uncle's car when he tried to park at his home on the same street earlier that night.

"He tried to ring the police and the rangers, but there was no help," she said.

Ms Shovellor said she tried to phone rangers but the calls rang out.

She said the dogs continued to roam the street for hours after the attack. They were eventually contained by rangers.

WA Police said officers reported the dogs to the Shire of Broome after responding to a call at about 3am.

A shire spokesperson said the police report was the only notification of the dogs or incident the council had received.

The spokesperson said the dogs were caught at 7am.

Rangers are not available in Broome between 6pm and 6am, but reports can be logged through a 24-hour hotline and emergency services can be alerted if necessary, according to the spokesperson.

The owners consented to the dogs being euthanased. The shire's investigation is ongoing.

Those living on Streeter Avenue said they still feel unsettled walking on the street after the incident.

Ms Shovellor described witnessing the attack as "traumatising".

Ms Shovellor said there were families and young children living on the street, and that there should be more options for residents to report incidents outside business hours.

  • man
  • couple
  • car
  • pit
  • bull
  • broome
  • resident
  • dog

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