Posted on June 13, 2024 by Colleen Lynn

San Francisco Man Scales Tall Fence to Escape Violent Pit Bulls Captured on Video; Dog Owners Lived in RV Under Overpass

San Francisco man scales tall fence to escape violent pit bulls in SoMa neighborhood.

Dramatic Survelliance Video
San Francisco, CA - On May 25, a man survived a vicious attack by two pit bulls by scaling a tall fence. Pablo Rocha, who stands at 6'6", told KTVU, "I just remember the noise of my bicep muscle being stretched." In that moment, "I thought I would die," he said. The attack occurred just after 6:00 pm near Alameda and Vermont Streets as Rocha walked home from his gym in SoMa. The attack was captured on surveillance cameras. The dogs repeatedly attacked Rocha prior to him reaching the fence.

When he did make it to safety on the other side of the fence, no one stopped to help him. Police informed him that the majority of 911 callers thought a robbery was in progress, Rocha being the suspect. "The bites of the dogs hurt a lot," Rocha said. "But to know the reason they didn't stop to help me? That was very painful." The city has been riddled with crime and homelessness for years. The dogs belonged to an RV dwelling couple that had been parked under an overpass for months.

The victim's husband, Robert Fountain, has lived in the neighborhood for 15 years. He has witnessed the degradation. "It's been the better part of seven years that we have been fighting to get our neighborhood cleaned up," he said. "It gets cleaned up; it comes back. It gets cleaned up; it comes back." If Rocha "had not been 6'6", 220 pounds, and healthy, I'd be planning a funeral today," he said. We agree. Each time the pit bulls knocked Rocha down, he was able to quickly get back up.

"I had 11 bites and 30 stitches," Rocha said. “Two pit bulls were trying to push me down and kill me." Rocha underwent surgery for two hours.

San Francisco police officers arrested two suspects. Charges against 39-year-old Hilary Flynn include failure to control a dangerous dog, resisting arrest and false impersonation. Flynn also had outstanding warrants outside of the city. Charges against 31-year-old Jesse Ali include resisting arrest and harboring, concealing, or aiding another person when it is known they committed a felony crime. Notably, San Francisco Animal Care and Control is located four blocks from the attack scene.

From 2018 to 2019 we reported on a multi-part documentary series about how San Francisco Animal Care and Control (SFACC) fails to properly manage the risks posed by vicious and dangerous dogs in the city. The third and final installment, in part, focused on the new SFACC facility, which grew to a price tag of over $100 million. From this same documentarist, we've also reported on dangerous dog hearings in the city, including attacks in Chinatown, Sunset District, and the central public library.

If Rocha's attack does result in a Vicious and Dangerous Dog hearing, we wanted our readers to know the case history. The separate criminal charges will complicate matters. Flynn faced a criminal hearing on June 12, and Ali was released on his own recognizance with electronic monitoring. It's unknown if either will fight to save their dogs from certain euthanasia due to the unprovoked, off-property, violent nature of the attack. Certainly, Rocha's testimony, if there is a VDD hearing, will be powerful.

Unusual Optics, Chain of Events

The San Francisco Standard shows the independent surveillance footage. Eduardo Pajeú, who is seen in the video, tries to pull the dogs away, but fails. Pajeú saw Flynn call the dogs away, but she did not leave the RV to help Rocha, he said. Given the unusual optics and chain of events, Rocha said SFPD officers were initially suspicious. "The cops were like, 'How did you get there?' but very aggressively," Rocha said. "And I was like, 'Hey, I was attacked by two fucking pit bulls; what are you asking for?'"

However, an SFPD spokesperson disputed Rocha's characterization after reviewing body camera video from responding officers. "At no point did officers treat the victim as a suspect," the spokesperson said. "The victim was immediately treated by paramedics as officers gathered information about the attack, which they used to quickly track down the dogs. Police and paramedics acted professionally." Officers also arrested Flynn and Ali near the scene, and SFACC took both pit bulls into custody.

Initially, Rocha told KVTU that pit bulls were part of the problem. "I think the city of San Francisco is a beautiful place and we don't need to lose this. Can you imagine that you travel to a city that is so famous, and you can be attacked by a pit bull and be killed by a pit bull from someone that lived on the street?" Rocha then "self-corrected" in the Standard article saying, "The problem is not the pit bull. The problem is the city does not take care of our safety." Truthfully, the problem is both.

The RV dwellers chose to own two pit bulls -- a dog breed that kills more people than all other breeds combined each year in the United States.

Fountain would not have said, "It’s amazing he’s alive," and "If he wasn’t as healthy and tall as he is, he’d be dead," if two hounds had been chasing and biting him. The specific attack manner of a pit bull is exactly how Rocha describes: The smaller dog tried to knock him down, while the larger one "was trying to kill" him. The pit bulls took him to the ground at least three times. These were coordinated efforts among "team players" in a multi-pit bull attack bent on killing, not to "bite and release."

Dogs Euthanized

After publishing this post, we learned that San Francisco Animal Care and Control confirmed that both pit bulls have been euthanized. Presumably, the owners surrendered ownership of the dogs to the city, and SFACC euthanized without a need for a Vicious and Dangerous Dog hearing. This is how many cases involving "vividly clear" vicious dogs should result: dog(s) surrendered and euthanasia. There is no need for the "owner drama" and extensive city resources that VDD hearings often require.

San Francisco Man Scales Tall Fence to Escape Violent Pit Bulls

Pablo Rocha seen scaling the 8-foot fence of Aga John Oriental Rugs on May 25, 2024 to escape two attacking pit bulls in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco.

Posted on June 11, 2024 by Colleen Lynn

2024 Dog Bite Fatality: Woman Killed by Canines in Letcher County, Eastern Kentucky

A woman was found dead after being attacked by dogs in Letcher County, Kentucky.

Woman Found Dead
Letcher County, KY - A woman is dead after being attacked by canines -- dogs presumably, not the rare "death by coyote" possibility. Trina Sandlin, 57, left her home on the evening of June 9 and never returned. "Family members located Sandlin near her home over an embankment and had suffered injuries consistent with an animal attack," states a release by the Kentucky State Police (KSP). The attack site is located about 20 miles from where Corey Godsey, 13, was killed by dogs in 2020.

Kentucky State Police - Jeremiah, Ky (June 10, 2024) – On Sunday, June 9, 2024, at approximately 12:58 A.M, Kentucky State Police, Post 13, Hazard, received a 911 call in reference to a female being located deceased on Doty Creek in the Jeremiah community of Letcher County.

Troopers, along with detectives responded to the scene. The deceased female was identified as Trina Sandlin, 57 of Jerimiah. Preliminary investigation indicates that Sandlin had left her residence earlier in the evening to go to a neighbor’s residence but never returned. Family members located Sandlin near her home over an embankment and had suffered injuries consistent with an animal attack.

Sandlin was pronounced deceased on scene by the Letcher County Coroner’s Office and transported to the Medial Examiners Office in Frankfort for an autopsy. This incident remains under investigation by Detective Brandon Thomas.

Letcher County Coroner Perry Fowler said Sandlin was attacked by canines, but could not say if they were dogs or coyotes, reports the Lexington Herald Leader. Sandlin had rented a house in the Doty Creek Road area. She currently has a PO Box address in Blackey, about 10 miles away. According to the rental property's landlord, Sandlin had gone out that evening to visit a nearby home to get some paint. Her body was discovered near the path of the rental house. She was found about 1:00 am.

WYMT sent a reporter to Jeremiah, who spoke to KSP Trooper Matt Gayheart. "The female left her residence to go to a neighboring residence just up the road," Gayheart said. "Family members got concerned when she did not return. So, they went out looking for her and they actually located her over an embankment." No foul play is suspected. he added that animal attacks are not common in the area. Her body was transported the state Medical Examiner's Office in Frankfort for an autopsy.

On Sandlin's most recent Facebook page, she mentions friends living just a few miles away in Red Fox. One day before her death, she posted a sepia toned pit bull photograph with the words, "RIP Achille's Lee McIntosh." Its meaning is unknown. After the death of Godsey, who was discovered in a wooded area 1,500 feet up a hillside in Knott County, it took police six months to determine his cause of death. Inevitably, this gave rise to different paranormal theories that continued years after his death.

Relative Speaks Out

Late Tuesday, Sandlin's grandson, Austin McIntosh, left comments on a "freelance journalist" post. "It was Carlos Bentley's dogs that killed my grandmother. The police were called months before this to put his dogs down after they attacked a little boy and he had to be sent to Lexington but the police were too scared to do anything alongside with the dog warden. Now my grandmother Trina Sandlin is dead because of the dogs." He said the dogs involved were, "pit bulls mixed and starved to death."

According to online offender searches, Bentley is currently serving out a probation term. Past addresses include residences in the 1600 and 1700 block of Doty Creek Road in Jeremiah. According to McIntosh, the dogs attacked and "almost killed" the little boy in the past few months. "I need help getting justice for her cause ... the owner of the dogs and the law is going to let him get away with this," he said. McIntosh left similar comments on Trooper Gayheart's post about Sandlin's death.

Bentley is the Landlord

The Mountain Eagle reports that Carlos Bentley was Sandlin's landlord. Officials confirmed the previous attack, which occurred in April on the same property, that left a child severely injured. No charges and no lawsuit were ever filed, officials said. Sandlin had left her rental home before dark "to get paint for the house from her landlord, Carlos R. Bentley. She apparently never arrived," reports the Eagle. It was Sandlin's companion and Bentley that discovered her body and called police.

After the April attack, the Letcher County dog warden and a deputy with the Letcher County Sheriff’s Office went to the property and were told the dogs had been killed after the boy was bitten. Sheriff Mickey Stines said he advised the family to see the county attorney, but they never went. Stines and other county officials were under the impression the dogs involved were dead until Sandlin's death. Letcher County Coroner Perry Fowler said he retained Sandlin’s clothing for DNA testing.

Grandson of Letcher county woman killed by dogs

The grandson of a Letcher county woman killed by dogs calls out alleged dog owner.

letcher county fatal dog attack, Eastern Kentucky

Eastern Kentucky area of Letcher County, Knott County and Doty Creek Road.

Baseline reporting requirements:
Law enforcement departments across the United States should release consistent "baseline" information to the media and the public after each fatal dog mauling, including these items.

Posted on June 3, 2024 by Colleen Lynn

2024 Dog Bite Fatality: Elderly Man Killed by Pit Bulls Near his Front Door in Lawrence County, Alabama

Willard Norton, 83-years old, was killed by dogs in Lawrence County, Alabama.

Man Killed by Dogs
Town Creek, AL - An 83-year old man was mauled to death by two pit bulls on Sunday. Lawrence County sheriff's deputies responded to the 200 block of County Road 264 at approximately 3:30 pm for a report of a dog attack. Upon arrival, first responders found Willard Norton near the entrance of his front door. They began giving him medical treatment, but he was unresponsive. Norton was airlifted by helicopter from Donald Baptist Church to a local hospital, where he died of his severe injuries.

Eyewitnesses said the two pit bulls also attacked other members of Norton's family. Animal control officers took the canines into custody. The Alabama Department of Forensic Science is conducting the autopsy. "Once the investigation is completed by the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office, those findings will be presented to the Lawrence County District Attorney's Office," Brian Covington, Chief Deputy of the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office said in an emailed to The Moulton Advertiser.

Shoals Insider reports, "Authorities have confirmed to Shoals Insider that an 83-year-old man was fatally attacked by two pit bulldogs Sunday afternoon ... Mr. Willard Norton, who would have turned 84 in July, was viciously attacked by the neighbors’ dogs as he was tending to his roses in his front yard. The dogs were reportedly taken in by animal control. Norton succumbed to his injuries a short time after the attack." The Insider posted photos of the the victim's home and the dog owner's home.

Police believe the dogs belong to the victim's neighbor. Despite the passage of Emily's Law in 2018, vicious dog attacks are not a strict liability offense in Alabama. The dogs must have been previously declared "dangerous" by a court to result in a Class B felony. If no dangerous declaration exists, prosecutors must prove "the owner of the dog had prior knowledge of the dangerous propensities of the dog, yet demonstrated a reckless disregard" of them, which can result in a Class C felony.

Earlier this year, there were two fatal dog maulings 4-days apart in north Alabama. The death of 4-year old Beau Clark in Hartselle and the death 2-year old Mark Partain in New Hope. Norton's death marks the third fatal dog mauling in north Alabama since late February. Last year, there were three fatal dog maulings in the Birmingham region. The deaths of infant Leo Caddel in Shelby County, and the deaths of 74-year old Joe Scott and 63-year old Sharon Portis, both in Jefferson County.

Previous Attacks

Late Monday, media outlets began reporting about previous acts of aggression by the dogs belonging to Norton's neighbor. WHNT spoke to family members. “It’s been an ongoing problem for more than a year,” one granddaughter said. “He tried to handle it civilly, talked to them, wrote letters, this was all avoidable.” In the past few weeks, the dogs threatened Norton's son, but he was able to reach safety, the family said. The same dogs responsible for Norton's death killed his dog last year, the family said.

WAAY-TV reports that sheriff's officials confirmed the Norton family did contact their department a few times about the neighbor's dogs. It was also reported that another large could be seen and heard barking in the window of the neighbor's home after the two pit bulls were removed. Criminal charges, specifically, will rely upon whether it can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that one or both seized pit bulls were involved in any previous attacks. The autopsy is set to be performed Tuesday.

"The Watermelon Man"

Norton's grandson posted wonderful a tribute. "I have held it together for the most part during this whole situation until I found this picture of me and the watermelon in Papaws yard ... He was a man in every way I hope I will be someday. He loved people the way we should love people. He prayed for me beside his truck at the station when I lost my job ... He spared the dogs lives multiple times that ultimately took his life. I can’t wrap my mind around any of this. It’s just not right," he wrote in part.

Willard Norton, 83, was killed by two pit bulls while tending to his roses in his front yard.

One of the dogs involved in the Lawrence County, AL dog bite fatality.

On June 1, 2024, one day before two pit bulls killed Willard Norton, the owner of the dogs on County Road 264 tried to rehome a female pit bull because a neighbor was "threatening to shoot it" -- the dog constantly runs at large. Finding her a home "ASAP" was not fast enough.

View the DogsBite.org Google Map: Alabama Fatal Pit Bull Maulings.

Posted on May 31, 2024 by Colleen Lynn

2024 Dog Bite Fatality: Pet Husky Attacked, Killed Newborn Sleeping in Crib in Knoxville, Tennessee

A pet husky attacked, killed a newborn while he slept in his crib in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Husky Kills Infant
Knoxville, TN - An infant is dead after being bitten on the head by a pet husky. Ezra Mansoor, 6-weeks old, passed away Thursday. The attack occurred on May 24 while the infant was sleeping in a crib. "Ezra was just asleep in his crib -- not crying or anything. And she just attacked out of nowhere," the baby's mother, Chloe Mansoor said. The 8-year old female husky is being held in a bite quarantine at the Young-Williams Animal Center. Chole said the dog had not shown aggression in the past.

A GoFundMe created four days ago states, "On Friday, May 24th, Mark and Chloe’s son Ezra was the victim of a dog attack and is in critical condition at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital in Knoxville. He is currently intubated and sedated with life-threatening injuries, the most serious being a brain bleed and brain swelling. Ezra is only 6.5 weeks old and his parents are completely devastated." Yesterday, the fund announced the baby's death. The infant's organs were donated to other children.

The mother also stated, "It could be any dog at any time." However, apparently no one warned the young parents about the track record of huskies killing newborns and infants by biting them on the head, specifically when the infant is lying in a crib or bassinet, and specifically when the infant is sleeping. Ezra's death marks the third husky-inflicted infant death this year. Brayden Heery, of Milford, Connecticut, was 2-weeks old. Amaya Carmack, of Greenville, Tennessee, was 4-days old.

Husky-Inflicted Infant Deaths

Despite huskies being infrequently involved in fatal dog maulings in the U.S., they are still among the top killing dog breeds, and they still disproportionately kill infants. From 2005 to present, we've recorded approximately 760 dog bite fatalities. Huskies have been involved in 20 of these deaths, 2.6%. Of the husky victims, 65% (13 of 20) were infants ≤11 months old and 90% (18) were ages ≤5 years old. The two adult deaths involved a multi-breed attack, each involving at least one pit bull.

Of the 13 husky-inflicted infant deaths, 92% (12) have information about the victim's surroundings. 10 deaths, 83%, involved the infant lying in a bassinet, baby carrier, crib or inside a playpen at the time. 2 deaths, 17%, involved the baby "resting in a bedroom." At least 11 of the 13 husky-inflicted infant deaths, 85%, involved the infant sleeping at the time. Presumably, the infant was not crying or emitting any sounds. Further, one of the infant's parents is typically close by, such as in the next room.

Breed-Specific Traits

Over the 19-year period of 2005-2023, infant killings (≤11 months old) among the other top-killing dog breeds -- pit bulls, rottweilers, mixed-breeds, German shepherds, mastiff/bullmastiff, and American bulldogs -- ranges from 2% to 21% of their victims. The husky percentage of infant killings, 65%, is quite high in comparison. Only 8% of pit bull victims are infants; only 14% of rottweiler victims are infants. Most of the 13 husky-inflicted infant deaths, 85% (11), are neonates too (≤1 month old).

An 8-year old female husky killed a newborn baby boy as he slept inside his crib.

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