Sheriff: Deputies forced to shoot attacking pit bull - Live5News.com | Charleston, SC | News, Weather, Sports

Sheriff's deputies in Georgetown County say they were forced to shoot and kill a pit bull Wednesday after non-lethal attempts to stop the animal from attacking another dog were unsuccessful.

According to a release, sheriff's deputies responded to Apple Street in the Andrews Community around 5:30 p.m. to find two pit bulls fighting in the road. A crowd of approximately 10 children and two adults were standing around the fighting dogs.

The owners of one of the pit bulls told deputies they were walking their dog when the second pit bull ran towards them and attacked their dog. The two pit bulls were fighting for about 30 minutes before deputies were called.

After verbal attempts failed to get the two dogs to stop fighting, deputies used a Taser. The Taser stopped one of the dogs, but did not affect the second dog, who continued to attack.

Deputies say they attempted multiple Taser stuns to the head of the attacking dog, but it remained aggressive.

The release states deputies were forced to shoot and kill the attacking dog in the interest of public safety.

Deputies attempted to find the owner of the dead pit bull, but say no one would claim ownership.

Copyright 2013 WCSC. All rights reserved.