Boy Hospitalized in Pit Bull Attack

A pit bull purchased to provide protection in a tough South-Central Los Angeles neighborhood attacked and seriously injured a 3-year-old boy who was being baby-sat Wednesday at the home where the dog was kept.

The dog bit the youngster, Manuel Castillo, on the side of the head, ripping off a piece of skin, and on one leg, possibly mutilating it, paramedics said.

The boy was rushed to County-USC Medical Center where he was reported in fair condition, officials said.

Jorge Verela, who lives in the house in the 1100 block of East 43rd Street where the attack took place, said the boy was dropped off in the morning by his mother. About 11:30 a.m., a commotion was heard in the backyard, he said.

When his mother and others went outside, Verela said, they found the boy bleeding as a result of an attack by Milo, one of two pit bulls kept at the house.

Verela, who was present when the attack occurred, could not explain how it happened. Los Angeles Fire Capt. Craig Mittry, one of the first emergency officials at the scene to treat the boy, said no one in the home, including Verela, answered his questions about how the attack occurred.

Later, Verela said his family had bought the dogs for protection because they had been robbed twice.

“Just look at this neighborhood,� he said, motioning to a row of fortified small homes near 43rd Street and Central Avenue.

The youngster had previously played with the dogs without incident, Verela said.

Nearly 90 minutes after the attack, the boy’s mother, Maria Miranda, came to the home, but rushed to the hospital after she was surrounded by at least six television cameramen.

“Please let me pass,� she pleaded in Spanish.

Later, a Los Angeles animal regulation officer, aided by four police officers, arrived at the home and took away the pit bull, leaving the other dog at the home. Officials could not immediately say what, if anything, might be done with the dog in custody.

Police officers also could not answer questions late Wednesday about whether the dog’s owners faced any consequences as a result of the incident.