A pair of dogs that had bitten at least one person before ran wild in Everett on Saturday, attacking five people and prompting police to warn residents to stay indoors.

One of the dogs died after being tased, while the second dog has been impounded by Everett Animal Control.

Police and Animal Control are investigating the owner of the two dogs, according to police spokesman Officer Aaron Snell. City spokeswoman Kate Reardon said the owner had been required to fit both dogs with muzzles after an earlier attack.

In the first attack on Saturday, officers were called to the 1300 block of Lombard Avenue around 6:30 a.m. after a 44-year-old man suffered bites to his legs and back, according to Snell.

The victim told officers that the two dogs crossed the street and attacked him. The attack was interrupted by a passer-by who scared the dogs away, police said.

The victim was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, Snell said.

Police tracked down the dogs, a female pit bull named Mia and a female boxer named Jewels, and witnessed one of the animals kill a cat. One officer was bitten on the leg by one of the dogs when he tried to coax the animal into the back of his patrol car, Snell said.

"The dogs were wagging their tails and were all friendly, but when he got in close proximity they started snarling," Snell said of the officer.

The dogs ran off when the officer used his Taser on them, Snell said.

Officers soon learned of other victims of dog bites: two women, 27 and 54, and a second 44-year-old man.

Snell said investigators believe the man was bitten while he was sleeping in the 1800 block of Broadway before 6:30 a.m. Police didn't learn about the mauling until the man went to Providence Regional Medical Center, where he complained of injuries to his feet.

The 27-year-old woman was bitten after she got out of her car at work.

The 54-year-old woman was attacked by the dogs while she was in her driveway, police said. After the dogs left, the woman noticed her pants had punctures in them, but she was not injured.

While tracking the animals, officers used their patrol cars' public-address systems to warn residents of the dangerous dogs.

Police caught up with the dogs again in the 1500 block of Grand Avenue. Officers used a Taser on the pit bull. The dog died during officers' attempts to restrain her, Snell said.

It's unclear why the dog died, Snell said. He said officers use Tasers to help subdue vicious dogs and that it's uncommon for the electric shock to kill an animal.

The second dog, the boxer, was found after she returned to her home in the 1700 block of Lombard.

The boxer was impounded by Everett Animal Control for quarantine, said Reardon, the Everett spokeswoman.

Reardon said both dogs already were known to authorities.

In May 2011, the pit bull was declared "potentially dangerous" under a city law requiring that label for all pit bulls.

In August 2011, the pit bull was quarantined after she bit a boy who was skateboarding, Reardon said.

While both dogs are believed to have been involved in that attack, it's unclear why the boxer wasn't quarantined. The owner was required to muzzle the dogs while they were out and to keep the dogs contained in a secure, fenced yard, Reardon said.

She said Animal Control officers had been to the house after that citation and "observed a fenced backyard and dog run."

The boxer will remain in quarantine at the Everett Animal Shelter until Sept. 4, Reardon said. The owner could then give up ownership of the dog, leaving the shelter to decide whether the animal should be euthanized.

If the owner chooses to keep the dog, the animal will be deemed "dangerous." Such a designation comes with a list of stiff requirements: a $100 registration fee; a $250,000 security bond on the animal; and a mandate that the dog must be contained and that signage be posted at the home notifying people of a dangerous dog.

No charges have been filed against the owner of the dogs.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com. On Twitter @SeattleSullivan.