Woman mauled by 2 pit bulls in Northeast Tacoma; gunshots scare dogs away

An unidentified woman was attacked by a pair of pit bulls and severely bitten Friday in the parking lot of a Northeast Tacoma smoke shop. Gunshots eventually scared the dogs away.

Four workers at the North Point Smoke Shop attempted to intervene. One of the workers was bitten on a kneepad, but he was not injured.

One worker fired warning shots as the dogs were attacking. When those shots failed, the shooter aimed at one of the dogs but missed, according to Puyallup Tribe of Indians spokesman John Weymer. The dogs then fled.

The smoke shop is owned by a tribal member, Weymer said.

Puyallup tribal police responded to the incident. The woman, whose name has not been released, was taken to a local hospital.

“Her face is nearly ripped off,” Weymer said.

“The dogs were shot at by one of the workers,” he said. “They don’t know if the dog was hit.”

Attempting to identify the dogs, authorities have reviewed images of the attack that were recorded by a surveillance camera. The dogs are still at large, and no owner has come forward to take responsibility, Weymer said.

This story was originally published August 1, 2015 at 9:52 AM with the headline "Woman mauled by 2 pit bulls in Northeast Tacoma; gunshots scare dogs away."