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Intruder Sent to Hospital in Pit Bull Attack May Face Charges

By Andrew Chow, Esq. on December 28, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

A pit bull attack in Seattle has taken a bite out of crime. Actually, a whole lot of bites. A pack of pit bulls mauled a would-be burglar so badly from head to toe, he couldn't stand and had to be carted away on a dolly.

To add insult to injury, the intruder may face charges of criminal trespassing.

The pit bull attack broke out when a 21-year-old man recently scaled a 10-foot fence to steal from two cars parked in a homeowner's back yard, Seattle's KIRO-TV reports. Neighbors told KIRO the intruder, whose name was not released, hopped the fence with his pants down.

Too bad the wannabe bandit didn't know the homeowner had let the dogs out.

Four pit bulls attacked the intruder, snarling and ferociously biting him all over his arms, ears, face, and legs, police told Seattle's KOMO-TV.

The homeowner heard the commotion and called his dogs off. The intruder was so severely hurt he was unable to walk, so the homeowner used a handcart to wheel him into the street.

A passerby called 911. Medics took the intruder to a hospital.

After the intruder recovers, he may face a charge of criminal trespass, police said. To prove trespass, prosecutors must show the intruder knew he was entering someone else's property without permission. Because the intruder allegedly scaled a tall fence, that seems to suggest he knew he was trespassing.

And though it's possible the intruder may bite back by suing the homeowner for the pit bull attack, that dog likely won't hunt. Courts generally don't hold homeowners liable for dog attacks when the injured party fails to act like a reasonable person under similar circumstances. Scaling a fence to commit a crime is arguably not how a reasonable person would act.

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