A Florida man’s decision to take a shortcut during his trip might have cost him his life, as reports indicate that Melvin Olds Jr. was killed in a vicious attack by a group of stray pit bulls.
The dogs had bitten him over a hundred times, and the attack prompted an immediate response by local authorities who set up traps for the dogs. Shortly after, they managed to capture six pit bulls.
It is not clear if these are the dogs responsible for the man’s death, however. DNA tests have to be performed to confirm that they were the animals that attacked him in the first place.
Authorities have pointed out that it is entirely possible that there are still more aggressive dogs roaming the area, and have warned people to be careful and pay attention to their surroundings in the area.
The man was walking through a wooded area during the attack. He was last seen alive several hours before being found dead.
Witnesses have reported seeing the pack of dogs in the area previously, although they were not aggressive until that moment.
The 45-year-old father of five’s fiancée, Jannell War, explained: “They never came at me or insinuated that they were going to bite me. I never got that feeling.”
It is also unknown who the animals belonged to in the first place, and authorities have been trying to figure out that as well.
Pit bulls usually are not found as stray animals, and police have pointed out that incidents like this one are quite rare.
The dogs have managed to form a pack at some point leading up to the incident, which drove up to their aggression.
Sheriff Paul Blackman stated: “While we may have the dogs that were responsible for this horrible tragedy, we won’t know for sure for a while. I want to encourage residents of Highway Park and the surrounding area to be on the lookout for any loose dogs, especially those that seem aggressive. We don’t want anyone else to be injured.”
Lieutenant Clay Kinslow, of the Highlands County Sherrif’s Office, has also added: “We do work bite cases. [But] as far as a pack of dogs that attacked somebody, we don’t have many of those cases honestly. When dogs get in packs, you never know what’s going to happen.”
Olds Jr.’s mother, Cynthia Hill, told the media: “I thought a dog was a man’s best friend. He was a good person, a good man. Just so hurt, deeply because it’s so unexpected.”
Commenters say that more measures should be put in place to handle pit bulls.
