A pitbull running through West Pottsgrove was killed by police after it killed a domestic cat and a domestic dog and attacked a police officer Friday morning, police said.
Police first received a report from a resident in the 700 block of Glasgow Street that a pitbull mauled and killed a pet cat around 7:30 a.m., police said.
When police responded to the scene, they said the pitbull, a large female owned by someone living in Pottstown who police declined to name preliminarily, had already run to the 800 block of Glasgow Street.
Police contacted residents in the immediate area and asked them to stay inside their homes and bring any outdoor pets inside as a precaution.
As police approached the pitbull they observed it mauling and ultimately killing a small dog owned by a resident in the 800 block of Glasgow Street, but they were too late to stop the pitbull, police said.
"At that point officers tried to corral the pitbull," West Pottsgrove Sgt. Steve Ziegler said.
Ziegler said the dog was in the area of a school bus stop, and police cleared children and others from the area before they moved in on the dog.
When police attempted to make contact with the dog, it reacted aggressively, police said.
"The dog tried to attack an officer, at which time (the officer) discharged two rounds from his service firearm," Ziegler said, noting that police could not immediately discern whether the dog was struck by either or both of the shots. "The dog continued to run, and another officer shot it with the Taser, which hit the dog, but the dog continued to run."
Ziegler specified that the officer discharged the gunshots in the direction of the dog and no residents were in the area at the time the shots were fired.
Ziegler said police were told the dog was struck by an SUV in the area of Pulaski and Glasgow streets before it continued running. Police said the dog was last seen running into a wooded area off Glasgow Street.
Animal control was called to the incident and assisted in the search for the dog, Ziegler said.
Although the dog's body was not recovered by police who searched the area Friday, police said they are confident the dog is deceased.
Ziegler said the owners of the domestic animals that were killed witnessed the incidents. He said the incidents are still under investigation.
West Pottsgrove police were assisted by officers from Pottstown and Upper Pottsgrove Township departments.
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