WATCH: Pit Bull Attacks Woman on New York City Subway — and Police Are Investigating
Police are investigating a pit bull attack on a New York City subway after video footage of the incident spread across social media Tuesday night.
A spokesman for the New York City Police Department confirms to PEOPLE detectives are investigating the matter, but that no charges have been filed in the case yet.
The NYPD confirms the incident is believed to have happened Friday.
In the viral video footage, a man pulls on his dog’s leash as the animal’s jaws are clenched around a woman’s foot.
The man does not appear to command the animal to release the woman’s foot, which other subway riders note as the tension appears to escalate.
The woman who was attacked winces, and pleads with the man to get his dog off of her. Other riders also come to the woman’s aid, and try to get the pit bull to let go of her shoe.
Eventually, the woman is able to slip her foot from the sneaker, which the dog’s owner pulls from its mouth before throwing it aggressively at other subway passengers.
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Several people can be heard in the clip telling the man he should face charges and that his dog should be euthanized.
In New York, only service animals are permitted on the subways. All other animals must be in a cage or “carried in a manner which would not annoy other passengers,” reads the statute.
“We don’t know exactly where and when this video was shot. Our rules require non-service animals to be kept inside containers and not disturbing other passengers,” reads a statement from a Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesperson; the MTA operates the subways.
“What’s happening in this video is disturbing and a clear violation of our rules. We flagged this video for NYPD, which is responsible for enforcing Transit rules,” the statement concludes.
CBS News in New York spoke to witnesses, who say the dog’s owner and the woman the dog attacked had a disagreement over seating on the subway just prior to the incident.
The man, according to witnesses, had the pit bull sitting next to him, and the woman asked if he could move the dog to make room for her.
The woman allegedly physically tried to force the dog from the seat.
• With reporting by Kelli Bender
