Lithonia man recounts pit bull attack

A Lithonia man said Sunday that he didn’t know a pit bull had come inside the house where he was staying until the dog started biting his legs.

The dog also bit two children, 3 and 14, who were transported to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston. Their conditions were not known Sunday.

Maurice Jones, 40, said he was in the back of a home at 2168 Poplar Falls Ave. on Saturday afternoon when he heard children running into the house screaming. As soon as he got up to investigate, the dog was grabbing at his calves.

“He came from behind me,” said Jones. “I didn’t even know he was in the house. He didn’t even bark.”

Jones said the children are relatives of a nephew’s friends. The 3-year-old was bitten in the head, he said, while the 14-year-old was bitten in the ankle. He did not know their names.

Jones was transported to DeKalb Medical Center at Hillandale and released. He said the dog punctured the muscles in the calves of both his legs. Jones said he is in a lot of pain and has had to be aided by a walker because of his weakened legs. He also said he has scratches on his hands.

The county’s Animal Control cruelty unit is trying to determine whether the dog was provoked, according to authorities. The dog is a pit bull mix and has been quarantined by the owner’s veterinarian.

Jones said the children had been playing in the backyard of the home before the incident. The dog and another pit bull are on the other side of a fence that Jones said was about 6 feet high. Jones said the fence was in disrepair and that the animal somehow got through.

“We had sent letters to [the neighbor] the week before about fixing the fence,” he said.

DeKalb County police spokeswoman Bettina Durant said early Sunday the incident is still under investigation. No charges have been filed.