Good Samaritan rescues boys during pit bull mauling on Detroit's west side

DETROIT – Two young boys were taken to the hospital Friday morning after a dog mauling on Detroit’s west side.

The attack happened near Puritan and Hubbell avenues.

Police said the boys, who are 10 and 12 years old, were dropped off at school early and they walked to a nearby store to buy candy. While looking for the store, they suddenly were chased by a dog. 

The boys ran from dog and jumped an 8-foot fence to get away. However, on the other side of the fence were two pit bulls that began mauling the boys. 

"I would venture to say that when the kids were trying to get away from the one dog, they did not know those dogs were back there," Lt. Ron Lockhart said. "Out of the frying pan and into the fire."

A good Samaritan heard the boys screaming and jumped into the backyard.

“One dog had a boy by his thigh, and the other one was biting his arm,” Elgin Harris said. “So I hopped over the fence, took my shirt off and started beating one dog off him.”

Harris was able to get one of the boys to safety.

Police arrived on the scene and distracted the dogs. Both dogs were shot and killed.

The extent of their injuries is not known at this time, though police said they suffered multiple bites. The 10-year-old boy is temporary serious condition and his brother is in stable condition. 

It is unclear what happened to the dog that initially chased the boys.

No other information is available. 

Stay with Local 4 and ClickonDetroit.com for updates.

Sign up for ClickOnDetroit Email Newsletters (click here) for more stories like this.