DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich., Sept. 27 (UPI) -- A 75-year-old Michigan man rescued a 10-year-old girl being attacked by a pit bull, only to get a serious bite himself, police say.
Gerald LaMonica of Dearborn Heights saved the girl Saturday night, the Detroit Free Press reported Monday.
LaMonica said he was out for a walk when he saw the dog dash out from a back yard and attack the girl playing on the sidewalk.
"I just ran across the street and I shouted real loud at the dog, and he backed off of her and he came after me," LaMonica said.
He said he kicked the pit bull in the chest but the dog bit him and it took 15 stitches to close the wound. The girl needed 14 stitches for cuts to an arm and leg.
LaMonica said he only did what was necessary. "How could anybody stand back and just watch?" he said.
It was the second pit bull attack in the city recently, leaving police looking for someone to charge, the newspaper said.
A 51-year-old woman attacked in her yard by two pit bulls Thursday was hospitalized in stable condition. She was rescued by a 40-year-old man who was driving down the street and saw what was happening.
The three dogs involved in the two attacks were being quarantined pending further action.
