A police officer broke his arm fighting off an attack by a pit bull on the Northwestside.

Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Sgt. Ronald Brezik shattered his forearm near the wrist after he was attacked at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday on the 4000 block of North Vinewood Avenue.

Brezik had responded to a call that a vicious dog in the neighborhood had bitten a person. He and other officers spotted the suspect dog and followed it into a backyard on Vinewood.

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When Brezik went to lock the gate to the yard to keep the dog inside, it rushed through another gate and attacked him, according to an IMPD report.

The dog tried biting Brezik’s leg while he was kicking it away. Brezik pulled out his gun and shot at the dog and missed, but the dog ran away. It was later caught.

During the scuffle, Brezik was knocked to the ground and he injured his arm and wrist breaking his fall, according to the report. Brezik’s left wrist started swelling and he was taken to Methodist Hospital. The report said he would undergo surgery.

The original complaint of a person being bit was unfounded, the report said.