A man is being hailed as a hero for saving a woman from a pit bull attack in the Mid-Wilshire area last week.
Evan Townsley, 53, says he and the woman named Anna were hospitalized after the July 23 incident, which occurred near the intersection of Sixth Street and Cochran Avenue.
Townsley said he heard Anna screaming for help and saw the dog attacking her, so using a knife and the martial arts skills he’s learned, Townsley decided to intervene.
He soon found, however, that the nearly 100-pound dog might win the struggle.
“Going into this, I didn’t think I was going to come close to losing my life, and towards the end of this fight, I realized the dog had the better of me,” Townsley said.
Townsley screamed for help and passersby helped him hold the pit bull down until police arrived and subdued the animal.
While Townsley is grateful he and Anna are alive, he said his 30-hour hospital stay has led to increasing medical bills, and he’s started a GoFundMe.
On his GoFundMe page, Townsley said he “underwent surgery on both of my forearms, have a broken wrist, major puncture wounds to the bone on my arms, can’t move my arms or fingers very well right now and have no use of either arm.”
“Never did I think I would start a Go Fund Me, nor did I ever think I would attack a dog but there was no way I could let that lady be ravaged by this dog like she was without helping,” Townsley added on the page.
Police are still investigating the incident, which could result in criminal charges for the owner of the dog, which was allegedly loose without a leash or supervision.
