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Loose Pit Bulls Maul Car Theft Suspect

JOLIET, Ill. (STMW) - Passing dogs put the bite on an alleged car thief early Monday in southwest suburban Joliet.

A man started his pickup truck shortly after 11 p.m. Sunday in the 900 block of Hickory Street and left the unlocked vehicle running to warm up.

When he came out about 10 minutes later, the pickup was gone, and the victim notified police.

Around 2:10 a.m. Monday, a witness in the 500 block of North Broadway saw a man in dark clothing pull up in the truck, park it and start walking down the street.

"Three loose pit bulls came up and began mauling the man who had gotten out of the pickup," Deputy Chief Mike Trafton said, "so the witness called the police."

The man got away from the dogs before officers arrived and could not be located. The pickup was confirmed to be the one stolen from Hickory Street.

The dogs were tracked to the yard of Jeremy A. James, 19, of the 100 block of Stone St.

They had gotten out through an open fence, police said. James was charged with negligent control of an animal and violating a city ordinance by having too many dogs.

He was released on bond and the dogs were turned over to an animal control officer.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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