Pit Bull Attacks 4-Year-Old in Prince George's

A 4-year-old boy was critically injured when he was mauled by a pit bull this morning in District Heights, authorities said.

The boy's injuries were not considered life-threatening, but he was attacked on the face and sustained traumatic injury to one of his eyes, said Mark Brady, spokesman for the Prince George's County Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department.

The boy's identity was not released, and it was not clear who owned the pit bull. The attack occurred just after 9:30 a.m. in the 1900 block of Addison Road South.

Following the attack, Brady said an adult male accompanying the child became confrontational with paramedics en route to a specialty trauma center in Baltimore. The man asked to be let out of the ambulance, and fearing for their safety, paramedics dropped the man off on the side of Route 295 near Route 32 in Howard County.

The ambulance continued to Baltimore and U.S. Park Police were called to pick up the man, authorities said.

Officer Evan Baxter, a spokesman for Prince George's County police, said county animal control had taken custody of the pit bull. Any pit bulls born after Feb. 3, 1997, are illegal in Prince George's, Baxter said.