4 kids sicced pit bull on women in SeaTac, cops say

Four children between the ages of 11 and 15 used a pit bull to attack two women in SeaTac on Sunday evening after one of the victims questioned the group's treatment of the dog, according to the King County Sheriff's Office.

The girl, who is from Burien, and the boys — ages 11, 12 and 13 — all from White Center, were taken into custody by sheriff's deputies. All four were released to their parents and the dog was seized by King County Animal Control, said county sheriff's spokesman John Urquhart.

A 63-year-old Seattle woman was driving in the 13300 block of Des Moines Memorial Drive when she saw the group of three boys and a girl repeatedly kicking the dog at about 6:30 p.m., according to Urquhart. She asked the children if they might need some help, but a 15-year-old girl told her to mind her own business.

The woman told KING-TV the girl opened the passenger door of her car and attacked her.

"She grabbed me by the hair. She pulled me across the passenger seat by the hair," said the woman, who has asked not to be identified.

The woman said she tried to run away but that the girl kept chasing her and hitting her. Then, one of the boys allegedly ran toward her with the pit bull, which belongs to the girl's family.

"The dog started biting me on my wrist and my left leg," the woman told KING-TV.

It was not clear whether the woman required treatment at a hospital.

Urquhart said the group was abusing the dog, named Snaps, to intentionally make it violent when the first victim intervened.

A 41-year-old Seattle woman who saw the first attack followed the group to nearby North SeaTac Park. There, the girl realized the group was being followed and she head-butted the second woman before punching her in the head and body, Urquhart said.

The three boys accompanying the girl provoked the dog to bite the woman on her head and face while the girl assaulted her, he said. The dog also bit the woman severely on both arms, leaving the flesh of her forearm flayed and the bone visible, Urquhart said.

The 41-year-old woman, who was more seriously injured, was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where her condition was not immediately known.

The Burien girl likely will face felony assault charges after attacking the two women, Urquhart said.

The girl had blood on her shoes, Urquhart said, and she also was injured by the dog while she attacked the second woman, but the nature of her injuries was unclear.

The girl also injured her foot from repeatedly kicking the second victim and needed medical attention, Urquhart said.

"I don't know whether that was her blood or the victim's blood," Urquhart said.

Urquhart said the three boys also could face criminal charges. "They were part and parcel to this whole incident — both incidents," he said.

The girl's mother also might face charges for owning an unlicensed dog and letting a pit bull out in public without a muzzle. Both conditions violate local animal-control regulations, and the breed is considered dangerous by the city of SeaTac.

The dog's owner could face up to a $5,000 fine or a year in prison, according to city regulations.

Phillip Lucas: 206-515-5632 or plucas@seattletimes.com