The police officer who found an autistic Southland man being viciously mauled by two Rottweilers has told how he came across the harrowing scene - and saved a life.
Oliver Beaumont, 22, was walking through the small town of Winton, north of Invercargill on Sunday when he was mauled by a pair of what police have been told were "fully grown Rottweilers".
- Autistic man stable after vicious Rottweiler attack
- Southland man hospitalised after vicious Rottweiler attack
Police Senior Sergeant Peter Graham told Newshub he was driving up the main road when he saw the attack - and he didn't hesitate to step in.
"I realised I could see some blood on his hands and I thought they might be attacking him," he says.
"It's an extensive attack - it could have been going on for a few minutes."
He pulled a hasty U-turn and went back to help. After beeping his horn to try to scare the dogs away, he jumped out and started yelling at the ferocious beasts.
"I could see that the man was down on the ground and the dogs were attacking him," he says. "One was on his leg and the other was on his head area."
Snr Sgt Graham got between the dogs and the victim, while members of the public came to the rescue and to the man's aid.
"I was kicking stones at them and yelling at them and trying to scare them as much as possible and that just gave time so that they could get on the up and get him moving," he told Newshub.
A neighbour who came out to help has described the attack, telling NZME Mr Beaumont was "completely covered in blood".
She said Mr Beaumont wasn't screaming despite the terrible wounds being inflicted on him.
"He doesn't react the same as other people would. There was no loud screaming," she told NZME.
Mr Beaumont suffered injuries to his face and arms, and was taken to hospital via ambulance. He's now in a stable condition after surgery and is expected to eventually recover.
Southland District Council dog control was notified, and both dogs have now been captured.
The council says animal control is in the process of getting the owners to willingly give up the dogs, and both will likely be euthanised.
Snr Sgt Graham says the police are now investigating what caused the dogs to attack.
"No one really knows at this stage, until the investigation has been completed, what set them off," he says.
Newshub.
