“I’m seeing my officer get bit, and I’m trying to stop that dog from hurting my officer. So I took the shot, it hit him,” said Sgt. Jaime Perales.
BEXAR COUNTY, Texas — Two dogs were shot and killed by constables Monday morning inside a north side San Antonio apartment complex.
The Bexar County deputies were there to evict a resident when they say they were attacked by the pit bulls.
Sgt. Jaime Perales says when he shot the dogs, it was to protect his officer. The officer just has some bruising to his leg and Sgt. Perales says it was his boots that saved him.
“He was able to move to the side just enough to give me one clear shot,” said Perales, Sgt. Investigator, Bexar County Constables Pct. 3.
Split second decisions from Sgt. Perales had to make to protect his officer.
Monday morning, constables were evicting a resident at the Tuscany Apartments on Patricia Drive, when the officer arrived to the apartment. He didn’t find anyone inside.
“He opens the door. He observes a large pit bull dog inside a cage locked up and then at that time when he turned around, there’s a loose pit bull that started charging towards him,” Perales said.
Sgt. Perales says the officer called ACS to assist them. While waiting, the resident showed up and went inside the apartment, barricading himself inside.
Officers tried to get the man to open the door, but he wouldn’t answer. Deputies believe the man let the other dog out of his cage and got out through the back of the apartment.
“We had to use force in order to get into the into the apartment,” he said.
Once inside, officers say one pit bull started biting one of the officers in the leg. A taser was used but after five seconds the dogs stood up and started attacking again.
“I’m seeing my officer get bit and I’m trying to you know, stop that that dog from hurting my officer, so I took the shot. It hit him,” said Perales.
Sgt. Perales says the bigger dog then started charging aggressively at the officer.
“As soon as the officer moved to the side, I had one clear shot to take, so I took the shot and I hit him,” said Perales.
Sgt. Perales says he doesn’t blame the dogs for protecting their family and home.
“The part that, you know, that I want to make clear to the public that dogs, they’re not at fault at this,” said Perales.
According to Sgt. Perales the conditions in the apartment were unlivable but says the dogs had water and appeared healthy.
“There was dog feces everywhere. The dogs were inside the cage with feces inside of the cage, with food just thrown inside,” said Perales.
Sgt. Perales says its not uncommon for his officers to face dogs during these types of incidents but usually the residents will say let me put my dogs away.
Sgt. Perales says the man inside the apartment is not facing any charges right now but charges are possible once the investigation is complete.