Three people were injured on Monday after being attacked by four loose pit bulls.

The dogs had escaped from their pen after a child left the gate open, according to WCVB.

Two of the dogs bit a 70-year-old woman's pocketbook, and when she tried to get her purse back, the animals turned on her. The pit bulls bit the woman's forearm, bringing her to the ground.

Thankfully, two bystanders stepped in and stopped the attack on the elderly woman. She was treated at the scene for her injuries and then transported to St. Anne's Hospital.

Police responded to the dog bite call around 4 pm at Howe and Crawford streets in Fall River.

A little while after that, a witness saw four pit bulls surrounding a 54-year-old man, who tried to fend them off with a stick. The dogs dragged the man to the ground, when bystanders intervened.

One of the people who came to the man's defense, a 39-year-old woman, suffered superficial wounds to he arms and hands, and was treated at the scene.

The 54-year-old man suffered more serious injuries and was transported to Rhode Island Hospital, although his injuries were not life threatening.

The dogs were eventually captured by animal control in a nearby wooded area, and are being held in quarantine for 10 days.

The dogs' owner, Sherry King, 43, will be summoned to court on two counts of failure to license a dog and two counts of failure to provide documentation for vaccines.

The incident is still under investigation by Fall River Police.

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