LAKE LOS ANGELES \u00a0\u2013 An 6-year-old boy had to be airlifted to the hospital Sunday after he was attacked by a dog in his front yard, authorities said.<\/p>\n
Lancaster Station deputies responded to the boy\u2019s home in the 20700 Block of East Avenue J around 2:55 p.m. Sunday afternoon, according to Sheriff\u2019s Lt. Richard Daniels.<\/p>\n
Responding deputies found that the victim had been severely mauled by a large dog, Daniels said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was an initial report that it was a pit bull, but deputies on scene also thought it might have been a bullmastiff, so without having any experts to observe the dog, we can\u2019t comment on the breed of the dog,\u201d Daniels said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was one dog involved in the mauling, and we traced it to a fenced-in yard that we suspect it escaped from,\u201d Daniels continued.<\/p>\n
That yard was on the same street as the boy\u2019s home, and contained four dogs. All the dogs were taken into custody by animal control, Daniels said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re confident that the dog involved in the mauling is one of the four, but without having the victim to look at the dogs, we can\u2019t say which one of the four it is,\u201d Daniels said.<\/p>\n
He said deputies walked the fence of the yard and found no avenue for the dog\u2019s escape, therefore they do not know how the dog was able to leave or return to the yard. They\u2019re looking to interview the dog\u2019s owner, who was not at home during the attack, Daniels said, adding there was only a caretaker at the home.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout having contact with the owner of the dog, we\u2019re not able to make the determination if charges are appropriate,\u201d Daniels said. \u201cWe haven\u2019t had a whole lot of opportunity to interview the young victim, so until we\u2019re able to do those things, we won\u2019t know much more.\u201d<\/p>\n
The boy was airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center with serious injuries, and his condition is unknown at this time. The incident remains under investigation.<\/p>\n