Tarentum man mauled by his own dogs

A Tarentum man who faced charges last year after his pit bulls attacked several people on Halloween was mauled by his three dogs Tuesday at a borough apartment.

Brandon Baynes, 37, suffered severe injuries to his face, Tarentum police said.

Emergency crews were called early Tuesday to an Allegheny County Housing Authority apartment complex on Creek Street. Baynes was treated by Eureka Community Ambulance and airlifted to a Pittsburgh hospital.

He was attacked inside the apartment, police said. There were no other reported victims.

Three pit bulls were removed by Tarentum police. It’s unclear whether any of the three dogs was also involved in the Halloween incident.

Police were not able to immediately talk with Baynes because of the severity of his injuries.

“All three of the dogs were covered in the victim’s blood, which indicates all three of the dogs participated in the attack,” Lt. Mark Glogowski said.

Animal control company Hoffman Kennels retrieved the dogs from the scene.

Glogowski said police are seeking to have the three dogs declared dangerous. Attempts to reach Hoffman Kennels were unsuccessful.

The incident is under investigation.

A call to the county housing authority was not immediately returned.

Baynes originally faced criminal charges stemming from the 2024 Halloween attack, which severely injured two Tarentum residents. The charges were dismissed in June following results of an investigation that led to another man, Shawn Flynn, admitting to letting the dogs out in exchange for money.

In that incident, two adult pit bulls and one puppy were involved in the attacks. Officers shot and killed one of the adult dogs; the other was later euthanized.

Flynn waived his charges of criminal trespassing and reckless endangerment to court during a preliminary hearing before District Judge Carolyn Bengel. His hearing is scheduled for Dec. 18.

Michael Shutack, one of the victims of the Halloween attack, called Tuesday’s incident karma.

“This is so frustrating,” said Shutack, who was off work for two months after suffering injuries to his face, legs and body.

“You got to be freaking kidding me. People get these pits and sell them, and no one can do anything about how they’re being raised because it’s behind closed doors.”