TMZ: Ving Rhames' Dogs Maul Man to Death

Surely TMZ wouldn't print something that isn't true just to sensationalize a story. Ahem. Personally, I hope this doesn't turn out to be the case. We shall see.LAPD tells TMZ that "Mission Impossible" star Ving Rhames' dogs have mauled and killed a man who worked for the actor.

Cops tell TMZ the victim worked as a caretaker for Rhames, watching over the dogs and his home. The four dogs, Mastiffs and an English Bulldog, have been taken into custody by Animal Control. When they received the call this morning at 7:15, they say they found a 40-year old black male on the front lawn, deceased.

Calls to Ving's reps were not immediately returned, and the actor, apparently, is out of town.

KABC is reporting that the body of the caretaker had bites all over his body. They are also reporting that police are still investigating whether it was the dogs who killed the man, or if he suffered a heart attack or some medical condition.

From Wikipedia regarding Temperament:
The Mastiff breed is a combination of grandeur, dignity, and courage; calm and affectionate to its master, but capable of guarding. The breed is innately good natured, calm, easygoing, and surprisingly gentle. It is a well-mannered house pet but needs sufficient room to stretch out. This is an extremely loyal breed and though not excessively demonstrative, it is devoted to its family and good with children. However, it can be very protective of its owners and must be handled sensibly, since it is exceptionally powerful and can be difficult to control. When an "unrecognizable" visitor enters the home, the Mastiff will usually place itself between its master and the visitor until their master has recognized the visitor in a way that appears to be compassionate or friendly.

The temperament of the Bulldog is generally docile, friendly and gregarious but are known to be fiercely loyal. Breeders have worked to breed aggression out of the breed, and as such the dog is known to be of generally good temperament. Bulldogs can be so attached to home and family that they will not venture out of the yard without a human companion. Due to their friendly nature bulldogs are known for getting along well with children, other breeds of dog and any house-broken pet in general.

My guess is something else happened, and I doubt those dogs would attack somebody they knew very well.