A pregnant woman was taken to the hospital after being attacked by an unleashed dog earlier this week, suffering bites to both her hands and arms.
The incident occurred around 3:30 p.m. on Monday in the parking lot of the Tides at Highland Meadows apartment complex. The victim, Reyna Gutierrez, who is eight months pregnant, said she was just getting home with her kids after picking them up from school when the attack happened. Gutierrez said she did not see the pit bull approach her before it began biting her arms and not letting go.
“I couldn’t do anything. … I tried to cover myself with my son’s backpack,” Gutierrez told WFAA.
Video footage of the incident shows that Gutierrez ran between two parked vehicles in an effort to protect herself. Her 6-year-old daughter climbed onto the hood of a car while her terrified 9-year-old son ran a safe distance away.
A man working at the apartment complex rushed to help the family but was then attacked and knocked to the ground, suffering injuries to his stomach.
Gutierrez was transported to the hospital for treatment and kept overnight to monitor her unborn child. It is unclear whether the man who attempted to intervene was taken to the hospital.
In June 2023, The Dallas Express reported on a mauling incident involving a 40-year-old man who was killed by a pack of dogs in southern Texas. Two arrests were made in that instance.
In 2022, DX reported on a 4-year-old Fresno child who was taken to intensive care after being mauled by a pit bull while walking with his babysitter.
In an interview, Erik Rojas, Gutierrez’s husband, told Telemundo that when the Dallas police arrived, the pit bull’s owner removed the dog from the scene. While he claimed they knew the dog’s owner lived in the area, they did not know his precise address.
No arrests have been made yet, but police are continuing to investigate the attack.