She was walking her dog when pit bull attacked. Luckily, nearby officer came to rescue

A dog attack early Wednesday left a second dog seriously and a woman with minor injuries in east-central Fresno, but could have been far worse if a Fresno County Sheriff’s deputy had not been near the scene.

The sheriff’s office reported the detective was leaving his home near Temperance and Shields avenues en route to work when he heard a woman, Cara Emes, screaming for help. The detective, Jeff Stricker, drove around the block and saw a stray pit bull attacking a woman and her dog. He called sheriff’s dispatch for help at 8:59 a.m.

Stricker then grabbed the pit bull by the neck and was able to wrestle it away from Emes and the smaller dog. A neighbor came out with rope, which Stricker used to secure the dog until Fresno Police officers and animal control responded to take over.

“The woman suffered some bites and scrapes and is expected to be OK,” said Sheriff’s spokesman Tony Botti. “Emotionally, she’s quite traumatized. Her dog was injured pretty badly and is now at the vet getting treatment.”

The owner of the pit bull isn’t known. The stray dog was taken to the Central California Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Fresno Police Department and the SPCA are investigating.

This story was originally published May 10, 2017 at 12:06 PM with the headline "She was walking her dog when pit bull attacked. Luckily, nearby officer came to rescue."