STOCKBRIDGE TWP. (AP) - Authorities say they have killed a pit bull that attacked a 6-year-old boy who was bitten while riding a bike in Stockbridge Township.

Ingham County Sheriff’s Sgt. Jeff Weiss said officials were called to a Lansing-area home about 9:30 a.m. last Sunday after the boy was bitten in the leg. The boy was treated for a puncture wound and cut on his lower leg.

Weiss and a deputy went to the home and attempted to make contact with the homeowner, but no one was home. He told the Lansing State Journal the dog was running freely in the yard and acting aggressively.

Weiss says authorities fatally shot the dog because it “was a danger to the public.”

He said deputies left a note for the homeowner, who has not yet called them back.

© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.