As Evan Daniel Townsley drove through a Los Angeles neighborhood on July 23, 2021, he heard a woman screaming for help. The 66-year-old woman had been walking on a sidewalk when a 70-pound pit bull mix dog attacked her, biting her arms and torso, and lunging at her neck. Stopping at the scene, Townsley, 53, of Los Angeles, wrapped an arm around the dog and stabbed it with a small knife. The dog turned on Townsley, allowing the woman to flee to safety. Townsley and the dog continued fighting; the knife blade broke, and the dog bit Townsley’s forearm and wrist. Townsley swept the dog off its feet and pinned it to the pavement, where others, with difficulty, secured the dog until three police officers arrived and removed the animal from the scene. The woman was treated for serious bites to her arms, abdomen, and back. Townsley underwent surgery and then spent eight weeks in rehabilitation for treatment of 18 deep puncture wounds to both his arms – some of which pierced bone – and a fracture to his wrist.
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