Hero battles pit bulls that attacked 2
Victor Torres might not consider himself a hero, but that’s what his friends are saying he is.
The Linda resident may have saved a couple of lives Tuesday evening when he stopped two dogs mauling a man and a woman on Simpson Lane, bringing injury on himself.
Torres, 33, suffered deep wounds to his forearm that may have caused nerve damage. He said the two other victims were injured badly during the attack.
“The guy had bite marks everywhere on his body, from top to bottom. I heard the doctor say he needed immediate surgery,” Torres said. “I’m assuming they were just walking down the street when the dogs attacked them. But man, I’ll tell you, the bite I got was probably the worst pain I’ve ever experienced.”
Torres said neither dog – pit bulls – was wearing a col- lar.
Leslie Carbah, spokesperson for the Yuba County Sheriff’s Office, said the department and Animal Control Services responded after receiving multiple calls. The two dogs were found and captured, she said. Both are being quarantined. The dog’s owner is a transient, she said, and one of the dogs had a litter of 10 pups.
The attack occurred at about 5:30 p.m. on the west side of the Simpson Lane Bridge. Torres had just left work and was heading into Marysville to meet up with a friend, he said.
As he crossed the bridge, he saw a man and woman on the ground being attacked by two “massive” dogs.
“There was no way I could keep driving and act like I didn’t see that,” Torres said. “I had to hit the brakes and turn around. I was hesitant to jump in, but I had to do something.”
Torres grabbed a boating oar out of the back of his truck and went to where the attack was happening. He said the two dogs were shredding the two as they were “screaming bloody murder.”
He broke the oar over one of the dog’s heads as they were attacking the man on the ground. The dogs disengaged the victim on the ground and turned their attention to Torres.
“That’s when they attacked me. I was trying to hold them off by punching and kicking them, but it wasn’t doing anything to the bigger dog. I was able to keep the smaller one off until it eventually bit into my leg. That’s when the bigger one locked on to my arm. I could hear it just tearing my arm up. I was trying to pry its mouth open but it was latched on pretty good. I don’t know how it happened, but while the dog was shaking my arm, trying to get in deeper, I was able to get out of it,” Torres said.
When the dog released, Torres ran for his truck as the dogs trailed him. He leaped into the truck bed.
“I was running for my life. While the dogs surrounded my truck, the other people that were there were able to grab the two other people and throw them into their vehicle,” Torres said.
On Wednesday, Torres still didn’t have any feeling in his pinky finger. He said it will be a few days before doctors determine whether he needs surgery, depending on whether the feeling comes back.
Carbah said four people received medical treatment following the incident. Names of the victims were unavailable.
Alex Valdez Sr. said friends and family of Torres are grateful the attack didn’t result in any fatal injuries. He said Torres is a “selfless guy” with a big heart.
“I would like to say Victor put his life on the line for two strangers,” Valdez said. “He’s a hero.”
Torres said he was happy the attack wasn’t worse, though he was reluctant to call himself a hero.
“Honestly, I think I saved the man’s life. The way those dogs were shredding him, at that point he was helpless. They were having their way with him. It was only a matter of time before they got to his neck. If they were to sink their teeth into his neck or something like they did my arm, it could have been a different story.”
CONTACT