The East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office reports that the attack occurred at about 6:30 p.m. local time Friday. The girl was rushed to a hospital, where she later died from her injuries, the sheriff’s office said. She was not immediately identified.
The dog’s owner, identified as 20-year-old Erick Lopez, was taken into custody on allegations of negligent homicide, according to a probable cause form obtained by CBS News.
The girl was playing outside a relative’s home when a neighbor’s dog “viciously attacked her,” according to the probable cause form. The relative tried unsuccessfully to halt the attack by hitting the dog with a walking cane, sheriff’s investigators said.