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Ankeny police: Man used pit bull as attack dog before killing it

33-year-old Juan Carlos Moreno-Martinez is being held at the Polk County Jail.
Credit: Polk County Sheriff's Office
Juan Carlos Moreno-Martinez

ANKENY, Iowa — An Ankeny man is accused of escalating a fight with a pit bull, and then killing the animal after it attacked him.

Police said earlier this month, 33-year-old Carlos Moreno-Martinez was uninvited to a social gathering and tried to start a fight. He got his friend's dog, a Cane Corso pit bull mix, to hurt the victim.

The dog then bit Moreno-Martinez's arm and leg, causing significant injuries, according to police.

Moreno-Martinez told officers that after the dog attacked him, he stabbed it to death. 

Moreno-Martinez was taken to the hospital for wounds.

Among the charges Moreno-Martinez faces is Assault Causing Serious Injury, two counts of Assault While Displaying a Dangerous Weapon, Animal Neglect Causing Serious Injury or Death and Trespassing.

RELATED: Des Moines woman charged with animal neglect after dogs found described as 'skin and bones'

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