Three dogs kill their owner and injure bystanders in a San Diego park

SAN DIEGO — Three dogs attacked their owner in a San Diego park on Friday, killing the man and injuring another person, according to authorities and the Humane Society.

The dogs were euthanized Saturday, said San Diego Humane Society spokeswoman Nina Thompson.

The attack was reported around noon Friday at Mesa Viking Park in the Mira Mesa neighborhood, San Diego police told NBC San Diego.

The Humane Society, along with police, confirmed the owner’s death, Thompson said. His identity was not available.

“Our hearts and deepest condolences go out to the victim’s family,” she said.

The Humane Society, which contracts with the city for animal control and welfare services, said a second victim was recovering after a hospitalization.

Thompson said officers had security video of the owner walking the dogs toward the park before the attack.

Resident Paul Ngo told NBC San Diego he saw the man with his dogs, whose breed could not be identified, before the attack.

“I saw a person walking around with three dogs,” he said. “I noticed he kept repeating, ‘Hey, be gentle, be nice.'”

Police and Humane Society officials located two of the dogs and placed them under bite quarantine. The third was found locked in a vehicle and was also quarantined, Thompson said.

Her remains would be tested for rabies, she said.

“We are committed to conducting a thorough and diligent investigation into this incident, working with our law enforcement partners,” Thompson said.

Mira Mesa is a postwar bedroom community developed in part to serve the personnel of the adjacent military installations, now known as Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.