A pit bull belonging to a relative of former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., killed a sea lion pup in Laguna Beach. A witness captured the scene in this YouTube video.
A dog belonging to a relative of former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords attacked a sea lion pup and the attack and attempted rescue by Giffords' husband Mark Kelly was captured in a YouTube video.
The attack occurred Saturday in Goff Cove Beach in Laguna Beach as Kelly's 18-year-old daughter was walking the dog with her 15-year-old sister, Laguna Beach police Capt. Jason Kravetz said.
The 65-pound dog saw the sea lion and pounced, police said. The 15-year-old sister ran to Kelly for help to separate the animals. Kelly pulled the dog away, but the sea lion later died, officials said.
Police said no charges will be filed against Kelly's daughter. Police would only press a case against someone if a handler sicced a dog on a sea lion, Kravetz said.
"We are not looking at any charges or citations on the 18-year-old girl walking the dog because it's legal this time of year to have the dog down there if it's leashed, which it was," Kravetz told City News Service. "It's just a very, very unfortunate event."
Kelly, Giffords, and the daughters were staying in Laguna Beach, Kravetz said.
Earlier Saturday, police encountered the sea lion when officers freed it from a storm drain it had become stuck in at Aliso Beach, Kravetz said.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
The sea lion went back into the ocean and swam south to Goff Cove Beach, Kravetz said."They saw who (Kelly) was -- he's very recognizable -- and that's what generated a lot of interest," Kravetz said.
City News Service contributed to this report.
