SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A La Mesa man says a stop in downtown San Diego to hand out clothes to the homeless turned into a terrifying pit bull attack that nearly cost him his leg.
Devein Payne was left with a lower leg covered in skin grafts after the attack, which happened in early September in the 1100 block of C Street. A month later, a bandage still wrapped the wound.
Payne said he stopped that night and spotted a homeless woman in her 20s he recognized and wanted to help.
"There was a crowd of people here, wanted to see if someone needed a jacket and clothes I had in my hand," Payne said.
About the time gave the woman a jacket, a fight broke out between two homeless men, agitating the woman's loosely leashed pit bull. After throwing some pants to the woman, Payne tried to leave.
"The dog lunged around the opposite side of her and locked onto my leg, threw me into the street, and shook me twice. Took a big chunk of my leg. She said I'm really sorry, and she just disappeared," Payne said.
Payne used his own T-shirt to apply a tourniquet and drove himself to an emergency room, where a nurse removed the makeshift bandage.
"She took the T-shirt off, she said, ‘omigod, call the plastics surgeon,’" Payne said.
Doctors tended to the gruesome injury and made clear the stakes were serious.
"He told me if this isn't treated right, I could lose the lower extremity of my leg," Payne said.
Doctors were able to save his leg. Payne was discharged 4 days later and still has staples in the wound.
Payne, a handyman, says he suffered nerve damage and the long-term prognosis isn't clear.
"I have limited range of motion in certain angles. I can't push on the gas pedal for long," Payne said.
Payne reported the incident to the San Diego Humane Society. In a statement, officials said they are treating the incident "very seriously" and an "active investigation" is ongoing.
Payne, who was once homeless himself, is familiar with the risks posed by dogs with homeless owners.
“I’ve seen people walking past encampments get bitten. People have dogs that are not trained or secure enough. A rope around a neck is not safe enough," Payne said.
While Payne says she has heard the pit bull that attacked him has a history of attacks, I haven't been able to confirm that. Payne believes any dog declared a dangerous dog should be muzzled.
I brought his concerns to Humane Society officials. They said it's a County process, often involving a hearing, and once a dog is declared dangerous, conditions like muzzling are an option.
"Knowing this dog is aggressive, it’s very scary. This could have been a child easily," Payne said.
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