JEANNETTE, Pa. — A Westmoreland County man is facing charges after police say he released a dog that attacked a police K9.
Information shared by Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli’s office said police Jeannette Polcie and the FBI Task Force were serving a warrant at a house on Adams Avenue in July.
Police say a man identified as Gino Ferrari, 63, told them the person they were looking for was not home and gave them permission to search the home, but asked to remove his dog first.
Officers agreed and said Ferrari made eye contact with the K9 officer and his handler, who were standing around 10 feet away before entering the home.
While Ferrari was in the home, officers reported hearing barking before a pit bull charged toward the K9 officer aggressively, jumped over a fence and attacked him.
Officers tased the pit bull to end the attack, but police say the effort was unsuccessful.
Police had to physically remove the pit bull from their K9 after pepper spraying it.
The K9 suffered puncture wounds to the left side of his neck and scratch marks.
Witnesses later told police the dog had gone after another person and claimed it had killed a puppy in the past.
Ferrari is charged with causing injury to a police dog, recklessly endangering another person and inflicting injury to a domestic animal.
He was arrested on Friday.
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