Valencia Park woman to face charges after pit bull attacked neighbor

SAN DIEGO (CNS) – A Valencia Park woman will face misdemeanor charges
for allegedly failing to control her aggressive pit bull, which was fatally
shot by a neighbor as it attacked him and his dog, authorities said Tuesday.

The county Animal Services Department cited June Wayne, 56, on Monday
evening, following the shooting in the 5800 block of Duluth Avenue, agency
spokesman Dan DeSousa said.

The neighbor who killed Wayne's 3-year-old terrier told San Diego police
he was in front of his house about 8:30 p.m. when the animal charged across
the street and attacked him and his dog, a husky.

“This (was) not the first time this has happened,” SDPD Officer Dino
Delimitros said.

The 24-year-old man ran into his home, retrieved a shotgun and tried to
drive away the aggressive canine by hitting it with the butt of the firearm.
When those attempts failed, he shot the terrier, Delimitros said.

The man, who was bitten in the leg by the pit bull, was not arrested or
cited for the shooting. He and his dog suffered only minor injuries in the
attack, and neither required medical treatment.

Wayne was expected to be charged through the City Attorney's Office with
a leash-law violation and a count of failing to protect the public from an
aggressive dog.

The pit bull, which was not neutered, reportedly had attacked a bichon
frise last year as the owner of the small spaniel walked it through the
neighborhood.

The man who shot the terrier said it also had gone after his dog on a
prior occasion, after which he warned Wayne that he would shoot the animal if
it happened again, DeSousa said.