Warning: Graphic images
An 11-year-old boy is missing 70% of his scalp after he was pulled off his bike and attacked by three pit bulls while taking a ride through his Georgia neighborhood, his family said.
The attack near Grovetown on Friday sent Justin Gilstrap to the hospital, suffering from a torn scalp and severe bites on both his legs, Columbia County deputies told WRDW.
Justin nearly lost an ear and sustained a leg wound so severe, it could not be closed, according to a GoFundMe posted by his mother.
He also was running a fever, according to GoFundMe.
Justin’s cousin, Mason Aguilar, 11, made the 911 call Friday when the three dogs launched their brutal attack, eventually dragging the young boy into a ditch on the side of the road.
Justin Gilstrap, 11, was brutally mauled by three pit bulls while riding a bike through his neighborhood in Grovetown, Georgia. Ericka GilstrapBurt Baker III, the owner of the dogs, told police his dogs enjoy chasing people on bicycles. Baker was arrested shortly after and charged him with reckless conduct.
“There isn’t an inch of his body that doesn’t have a cut or bruise,” Justin’s mom, Ericka Gilstrap, told WRDW. “His life will never be the same again.”
“I don’t want another mom to have to sit next to their baby like I am doing right now,” Ericka added.
Justin’s cousin Mason recalled how he screamed for help, noting his cousin “can take on three pit bulls. He is tough as nails.”
Mason’s mother, Kellie Aguilar, told the outlet this isn’t the first time the family has filed a complaint about Baker’s dogs.
“Nobody’s ever done anything,” Ericka added. “They just run loose. They’re not behind the fence. They’re not tied up. They run loose 24/7.″
Justin is at the Children’s Hospital of Georgia.
