Valle Vista Woman Recovering From Injuries Sustained In Pit Bull Attack

VALLE VISTA (CBSLA.com) — A 61-year-old grandmother of eight was recovering Tuesday after being attacked by a pit bull while walking in her neighborhood.

The attack happened around 6:45 p.m. Monday in the 25500 block of Minorca Street in Valle Vista, according to Riverside County Animal Services.

Officials said Darlene Johnson "was walking alone when a dog broke loose from its tether, escaped its yard and attacked the woman."

"From the corner of her eye, she saw the dog come over the fence. She said from that point on, it was like a shark attack," Mike Johnson, the victim's husband, told CBS2's Tom Wait. "The dog was dragging her in the street by the back of her skull and tore a large patch of her scalp off the back of her head."

"She was cut all over," said Dorothy Dunn, a witness. She rushed outside when she heard the screams.

"She was crying to me, and I was telling her to be careful. She said, 'Well, I feel like I'm going to faint,' " Dunn said.

The dog then jumped back over the fence.

Paramedics arrived and raced Johnson to a hospital, where she is stable. She is expected to undergo plastic surgery to repair wounds to her head. She also sustained injuries to her arms and stomach.

The owner of the dog, a 1-year-old neutered male pit bull, signed the dog over for humane euthanasia, officials said. CBS2 attempted to reach the owner but was unable to do so.

The dog was taken to the San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus in San Jacinto.

"I think it's going to psychologically give her that fear of … do I really want to walk on the street again," Johnson said of his wife.