A Prince George’s County police officer shot and killed a dog after the animal boarded a school bus and attacked several children, authorities said. It happened shortly after 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, in the 12300 block of Winbrook Drive in Clinton.
An American bulldog followed a child onto a bus headed to Fort Washington Elementary, police said.
The child ran off the bus and an adult followed to get the dog away from the child, said Chief Rodney Taylor of animal control. The child ran back onto the bus but the dog followed again, then chased a second child off the bus and attacked him.
Police and fire officials arrived as a parent pulled up in a vehicle and dropped a child off at the bus stop, Taylor said. After the bulldog attacked that child, the officer pulled the dog away, and shot it.
“The officer was doing everything in his power to keep the dog away from the children,” Baxter said. “It was clear this dog was a continuing threat to the children, and the officer was left with no other choice.”
Animal control officials did not know where the animal came from or the identity of its owner. The dog did not have a collar or an embedded microchip, and people in the neighborhood said they had not seen the animal before.
Results of the rabies test will be returned Friday, Taylor said.
Paramedics transported four children to Southern Maryland Hospital where they were treated for bite wounds, police said. At least one student required stitches.
The officer, whose identity has not been released, has been placed on paid leave while internal affairs investigates. Internal affairs investigates any time a police weapon is discharged.
Grief counselors were dispatched to Fort Washington Elementary, and school officials visited the hospital. The school was preparing a letter for the parents.
