Man, 57, tackled to ground, critically injured during dog attack in .
Man critically injured during dog attack
Police in Philadelphia say they were forced to fire their guns at two dogs that viciously attacked a 57-year-old man in order to save the victim's life.

Security video from a nearby market shows a 57-year-old man running for his life early Monday morning, before he is tackled to the ground by two dogs, a bullmastiff and a pit bull.
The man was bitten several times on his arms and legs and even dragged like a rag doll.

"He has three dog bites at this time to both arms and his one leg. They say the bites to his arm are very, very severe, down to the bone. That's why officers actually applied a tourniquet because his arms were bleeding that heavily," said Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.


The victim's cries for help woke up residents in the area, and one man grabbed a baseball bat, trying to lure the dogs away. One of the dogs went after that good Samaritan.

"The dog chased him halfway down the block," said resident Liz Diaz. "He hit the dog two, three times. When the dog see he can't get him, he came right back up the street and kept on attacking the man on the ground."

The dogs were still attacking the 57-year-old when three police officers arrived. They say they had to fire at the dogs to save the victim's life.

The bullmastiff, which weighed about 100 pounds, died at the scene. The pit bull ran away. It has not been located.

The victim was taken to the hospital in critical condition. No officers were injured.

Police are urging the owners of the dogs to come forward.