Smyrna woman told dog to attack us, cops say

A Smyrna woman was arrested Wednesday and her dog was shot dead after she sicced it on officers serving an arrest warrant on her, authorities said.

Lydia Parvanta, 26, reportedly turned her pit bull on two Smyrna police officers and a Cobb County sheriff’s deputy when they came to her residence at 2280 Parkway Court to seek her surrender on a simple battery warrant.

As the dog charged a Smyrna officer, he shot it, said police spokesman Michael Smith. The dog died immediately.

“We had comments made by people in the residence that she knowingly released the dog to attack the officers,” Smith said.

Animal control has been sent to the home 16 times in response to complaints, Smith said.

Parvanta is also charged with aggravated assault on an officer, a felony. She was being held in lieu of $15,000 bond in Cobb County Jail.

Parvanta and a male inside the house were arrested without further incident, Smith said. The name of the other suspect wasn’t released, but he was involved in the original warrant that police were attempting to serve.

The name of the officer involved in the shooting was not released, and he will not be placed on administrative leave, Smith said.

An officer who discharges a firearm against a suspect usually is placed on leave while the incident is investigated internally.

“This is not the same,” Smith said. “The officer was forced to shoot the dog to avoid serious injury.”

Parvanta was wanted on a simple battery charge from a Tuesday night incident at a residence on South Cobb Drive. She was charged with striking another person several times and kicking him, according to the arrest warrant.