Police are seeking help from the public today to find the owner of a pit bull mix that mauled a man last night. The victim, Ian Alli, 20, was asking for money about 7 p.m. Thursday, outside a sandwich restaurant in the 2600 block of Colorado Boulevard, the Los Angeles Police Department said. He had been collecting donations for DARE, the drug education group he works for.

The dog’s owner gave Alli $10 and returned about two hours later with a pit bull mix on a leash, police said. “He asked to pet the dog and they said yeah, no problem,” said Brian Alli, the man’s father. “And as he put his hand down to … let it sniff his hand, that’s when the dog lunged at him and attacked him.”

The dog’s owner took off before officers arrived. There were conflicting reports Friday about whether the owner was a man, or two women in their 20s. Police said the owner could face charges for leaving the scene.

Alli was taken to the hospital, where he went into surgery for bites to his face. He was listed in stable condition. Officers said they planned to interview the victim once he was out of surgery.

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