Woman riding bicycle along Venice boardwalk wounded by gunfire after LAPD shoots ‘agitated’ dog nearby

A woman riding a bicycle along the Venice boardwalk was wounded by gunfire Friday after a Los Angeles police officer fatally shot an “agitated” dog who bit him, LAPD officials said.

The events leading up to the shooting began shortly before 3:30 p.m., police said, when officers on horseback stopped to talk to a group of people along the famed boardwalk near Rose Avenue.

At some point, a woman in the group “became agitated” and started yelling, Det. Meghan Aguilar said. A large dog that was with the group also appeared agitated, Aguilar said, and bit one of the officers on the arm.

The dog did not let go of the officer’s arm, Aguilar said. As the dog continued to bite the officer, she said, he fired a single shot, striking the animal.

The woman riding a bicycle was wounded in the leg, Aguilar said. It was not immediately clear whether she was directly struck by a bullet or hit with fragments, the detective added.

The woman was taken to a hospital for treatment, Aguilar said. The officer bitten by the dog was treated at the scene.

The dog died at the beach, Aguilar said.

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UPDATES:

1:45 p.m. Nov. 5: This article was updated with additional details from police about the events leading up to the shooting.

This article was originally published at 7:25 p.m. Nov. 4.