THOMASVILLE - A 5-year-old boy suffered severe lacerations and is in stable condition after being bitten by a pit bull Friday afternoon.

According to Thomasville police, the boy was playing and chased a ball into a lot where the pit bull was chained. The dog bit the boy several times.

“It’s fairly serious,” said Capt. L.L. Wesley of the Thomasville Police Department.

The boy was taken to Wake Forest University Medical Center in Winston-Salem after the incident at 329 Walker St. about 2:30 p.m.

Police said the dog belongs to Don Gordon who lives at the site of the attack. Wesley said he didn’t anticipate any charges against Gordon because the dog was on a chain.