Violent dog attack inside California library hospitalizes security guard, officials say

A violent attack by a visitor’s dog seriously injured a security guard inside the San Francisco Main Library, officials said.

Two guards approached a man who appeared to be unconscious at an information kiosk around 5:40 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 16, when the man’s unleashed dog attacked one of them, library officials told SFGate.

The dog pulls him to the floor as he flails his arms, trying to free himself from its jaws, while the other guard tries to drive the dog away, a video posted to Reddit shows. The owner finally called off the dog after regaining consciousness.

“Once alert, he was able to get control of the dog, who he claimed was a service animal,” library officials told KTVU, saying the visitor was “uncooperative and argumentative.”

City animal control officers cited the owner and took custody of the dog after the attack on the library’s third floor, KNTV reported.

McClatchy News reached out to library officials and did not immediately receive a response.

The dog will be tested for rabies and an investigation will be conducted to determine its fate, SFGate reported. The security guard was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.

Other than disability service animals, dogs are not allowed in San Francisco libraries.

“It makes me really sad because it is a service animal,” Carisa Puente of San Francisco told KNTV. “They are supposed to be trained and proved to be safe in public places so it’s really upsetting.”

This story was originally published January 19, 2022 at 7:41 AM with the headline "Violent dog attack inside California library hospitalizes security guard, officials say."