An 11-year-old girl and her 13-year-old sister said they were terrified when a neighbor's dog viciously attacked their 74-year-old grandmother. It was all caught on tape. The exclusive home video shows what police said was a pit bull attacking the elderly Northeast Philadelphia woman Monday.
Police said the dog belongs to Olga Nowakiwsky's next-door neighbor.
Video: Pit Bull Attacks Screaming Grandma
Nowakiwsky and her 13-year-old granddaughter, Oresta Borodevyc, were gardening in their own back yard when the pit bull charged them.
"Me and my grandma, we were watering the flowers out here, and the dog comes out with no warning, and it jumps over the fence and starts attacking my grandma, and she falls back," Oresta said.
Nowakiwsky tried to fight off the dog with the hose.
"I was scared and I was screaming hysterically," Oresta said.
The girl said she tried to help her grandmother, but the dog turned and bit her.
"I tried to get it off of her, but it was vicious, so I really couldn't do that," Oresta said.
The dog's razor-sharp teeth bloodied Nowakiwsky's arms.
"This is not, as you can see, just a situation where a dog bit her once or twice. It looks like a dog was jawing on a bone for an extended period of time," said Greg Prosmushkin, Nowakiwsky's attorney.
Prosmushkin said his client was bitten at least 18 times.
"Somebody has got to keep a dog like that confined or controlled," Prosmushkin said.
And while the animal chomped on her sister and grandmother, 11-year-old Andrea Borodevyc watched in horror from the house, capturing it all on video.
"I didn't know what to do but just stand and watch what happened, and to get evidence of what happened I started videotaping," Andrea said.
The dog's owners were not home when NBC 10 investigative reporter Harry Hairston stopped by.
Later, police dropped off a summons for the owners to appear in court.
Police said the owners have been charged with harboring a dangerous dog.
Prosmushkin said he is planning to sue.
"My concern is not just for this family, but that it doesn't happen again to another child and another grandmother," the attorney said.
Police said the owner is cooperating with their investigation and has turned the dog over to them.
Police said the dog is now in quarantine for the next 10 days to make sure it doesn't have rabies, NBC 10's Hairston reported.
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