Man Mauled To Death By Pit Bulls In Los Angeles County Backyard

LOS ANGELES – A 35-year-old man was mauled to death by a pack of dogs in the backyard of his home in Compton Friday morning.

According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the attack happened around 7 a.m. at a home on the 900 block of North Thorson Avenue. Shortly before 9 a.m., deputies were still trying to enter the yard where a pack of agitated pit bulls appeared to be fighting near the body of the mauled man.

"We got a report of a person down in the backyard," said Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Deputy Maria Lucero. "They're trying to make a plan to enter the backyard."

The dogs continued to behave aggressively, and it's not possible to send paramedics or firefighters into the yard, she added.

KTLA Sky5 footage captured a bloody scene in which deputies stationed on the home's rooftop looked down on at several pit bulls or pit bull mixes fighting near the man's bloodied body while trying to help a woman safely evacuate the area.

According to the Sheriff's Information Bureau, the person who reported the death told deputies the man was her boyfriend. The man's name was not immediately released.

A sheriff's official at the scene told reporters there is surveillance video that depicts at least part of the attack. The investigator said the man appeared to have been feeding the dogs when some of them began fighting, leading to the ultimate attack on the man.

Investigators said there were 13 dogs total at the home, five of them adult and the others considered puppies. County animal control officials were taking possession of the animals to determine if any will need to be euthanized.

Sheriff's officials could not immediately confirm that the man was breeding the animals, but said it appeared likely given the number of dogs at the home and the presence of several kennels in the backyard.

City News Service contributed to this report.