From Chelsea Phua:
Two dogs that authorities said "went on a rampage" Friday near an elementary school in a Sacramento County neighborhood were shot and killed by Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies.
Ruben Hernandez, supervising animal control officer of the county's Animal Care and Regulation Department, said his officers and sheriff's deputies decided to shoot the pit bulls, who bit at least two people and led authorities on a 20-minute chase near Whitney Avenue Elementary School.
The school was on lockdown during the search and shooting of the dogs, authorities said.
The two men who were bitten were treated at hospitals for their injuries, which Hernandez said were not severe.
Hernandez described the incident as "unusual" and "extreme," because the dogs attacked someone without being provoked. One of the victims was working in his yard when attacked, Hernandez said.
"They were unusually aggressive," Hernandez said, adding that witnesses reported that "these dogs just went on a rampage."
Authorities initially received reports that four people were bitten by three pit bulls, but say they did not see the third dog despite searching the neighborhood and talking to residents, and can't confirm if more people were hurt.
Hernandez said his officers arrived at about 12:10 p.m. to find firefighters helping one victim. Firefighters pointed out where the dogs went, which helped the officers and deputies to find two dogs near Robertson and Eastern avenues.
They gave chase and eventually ended up in the back yard of a property on Green Crest Court, where they thought they could capture the dogs. But the dogs kept charging at the deputies and animal control officers, who exhausted all means of trying to trap the animals, Hernandez said.
The officers and deputies noticed a greenbelt adjacent to the property and a possible escape route for the dogs.
"We didn't want to take the chance of losing the dogs to the green belt area and possibly posing a future risk to anybody that may be walking in the area," Hernandez said.
One dog was shot at Green Crest Court, and another one, which ran to the elementary school, was shot there, Hernandez said.
Authorities advise residents to always report a stray dog to the department at (916) 368-7387.
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