Child Bitten by Police Dog During ‘National Night Out’ Event in South Pasadena

[UPDATED] A young boy was being treated at a hospital Tuesday evening after he was bitten by a police dog during a “National Night Out” event at a park in South Pasadena.

The incident took place about 8 p.m. at Orange Grove Park, 815 Mission Street, South Pasadena Police Department Lt. Spencer Louie said.

#BREAKING: A 5-year-old boy was left with injuries after reportedly getting bitten in the head by a police dog in South Pasadena on Tuesday night. He was being treated at a hospital. https://t.co/in3BpEFId0

— CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) August 4, 2021

Tonight a police dog attacked my five year old at a community event. Cops told me “accidents happen.” https://t.co/Wr49i24sQO

— Josh Forbes (@bestjoshforbes) August 4, 2021

South Pasadena police were hosting the department’s annual “National Night Out” event, which is a national day set aside for police to meet with the communities they serve.

The condition of the child, described as approximately 5 years old, was not clear.

A man who identified himself as the boy’s father took to social media regarding the incident.

“Tonight a police dog attacked my five year old at a community event,” Josh Forbes posted via Twitter. “Cops told me ‘accidents happen.’”

He told CBS that he and an officer had to pull the dog off of the boy.

“To me, it would be no different than if they were doing a gun demo and a gun went off,” Forbes told the TV station.”I find it incredibly irresponsible.”

“When we talked to the police, they were pretty dismissive about it,” he added. They were pretty flippant. They were just like, ‘Hey, calm down. Accidents happen.’”

The circumstances of the incident remained under investigation. No further details were available.