Neighbors complained several times about loose dogs that killed Dallas woman
The owner of the pack of dogs who mauled a Dallas woman to death had received nearly a dozen complaints from neighbors before the deadly attack.
Antoinette Brown died Monday after she was attacked by a pack of six dogs last week in South Dallas.
Residents in the area have long complained about loose dogs in their neighborhood.
Jackie Humphrey talked to police after the attack. She is one of the residents on Rutledge Street who complained to Dallas Animal Services about the dangerous dogs after one of them killed her Chihuahua.
Late Tuesday, the Dallas Police Department revealed that animal services seized 13 dogs from the same owner before the latest mauling.
Hours later, Dallas City Manager A.C. Gonzales put out a statement that admitted several mistakes.
"We did not properly identify a pattern of behavior that was developing and would have given us an opportunity to bring DPD into the loop sooner to investigate for criminal activity,” the city manager’s statement said.
While the city allows up to six dogs in a home, the dog owner had seven dogs that were not registered. However, the city did nothing about it.
City Councilman Rick Callahan says the city failed to make changes despite addressing this issue eight months ago.
“We dropped the ball, and I'm embarrassed to be one of the 15 council members,” the councilman said. “It's as much my fault. There's a disconnect.”
FOX 4 has learned that the Dallas Police Department did not tell animal services about the attack for four days.
And even though Humphrey told animal services she saw the attack and later spotted one of the loose dogs, animal services said they could not respond for three days.
“I told him a woman was just attacked right out here," Humphrey said.
Once police reached out to animal services, they captured six dogs the following day and a seventh dog on Monday.
Because the loose dog problem has gotten so bad, Councilman Erik Wilson says the city may have to euthanize more dogs to solve the problem. Something he knows won't be popular, but he believes is necessary to protect people.
Police say charges could be forthcoming.