A Tasmanian woman has been charged with assaulting police after she allegedly refused to surrender her dangerous American pit bull terrier dog.
The Wednesday afternoon incident sparked an hours-long standoff that ended with officers being attacked and the dog fleeing into suburban streets.
The 57-year-old from the state’s north-west spent the night in custody and is facing charges of assaulting police, abusing and threatening officers and owning a dog that attacks people.
Police say the ordeal began when officers turned up at a Melrose Street home in East Devonport with a seizure warrant for the pit bull, which had been declared dangerous.
The woman allegedly became aggressive towards police, Devonport Council and animal control staff.
“Police will allege the woman refused to surrender the dog and that she threatened and verbally abused officers during the issuing of the warrant,” a spokesperson said.
The situation deteriorated further as specialist police resources were called in and negotiations dragged on for several hours.
The woman then allegedly released the unrestrained dog, which bolted from the property.
“The woman is then alleged to have assaulted police officers before being arrested without further incident and taken into custody,” police said.
The escaped pit bull triggered a frantic search across the suburb, with police deploying drones to track it down.
The dog was eventually located and captured by police and animal control.
“Tasmania Police would like to thank members of the public for their assistance in reporting sightings of the dog, which played a key role in its safe recovery,” the spokesperson said.
According to the state government, restricted dog breeds are considered “more likely to be aggressive and can cause more serious injuries than non-restricted breed dogs if they attack a person or another animal”.
While many restricted breeds cannot be imported into Australia, the American pit bull terrier is known to exist in Tasmania.
Other restricted breeds include the Dogo Argentino (Argentine mastiff), Fila Brasileiro (Brazilian mastiff), Perro de Presa Canario (Presa Canario) and Japanese tosa (tosa Inu or Japanese fighting dog).
