DEPUTY SHOOTS PIT BULL.

Byline: Bhavna Mistry Daily News Staff Writer

An aggressive pit bull that charged three women and killed at least one cat was shot and killed Friday morning when it turned on a sheriff's deputy, sheriff's officials said.

The dog was one of three pit bulls that terrorized residents in the 45800 block of Suffolk Drive shortly after 6 a.m. The other two dogs backed away once the one was shot, officials said.

``They were just on a rampage,'' said Sgt. Mike Handley. ``They had already killed a cat or two.''

Deputies encountered the dog while responding to a call of a vicious dog. They found a woman standing on the hood of a vehicle surrounded by three pit bulls. The dogs were barking at her and trying to bite her, Handley said.

After rescuing the woman and putting her inside a patrol car, the deputies followed the dogs, hoping they were returning to their owner.

A short distance away, the dogs chased a woman who had come out of her house to get her morning newspaper. She ran inside her house.

The dogs then charged at another woman who was watering plants in her front yard.

Hoping to distract the dogs from the woman, Deputy Steve Timm got out of his patrol car. As the dogs ran toward him, he shot the dog that appeared the most aggressive, hitting it in the head.

The other two dogs then backed away and were captured by animal control officials. No one was injured.

Officials were trying Friday to identify the dogs' owner.

Friday's shooting of pit bulls is the third in recent weeks.