Pit Bull Attacks Two Evanston Boys


Jay Warren, KYPost.com
April 7, 2008

Two young boys are recovering after they were attacked by a pit bull while they were playing in Evanston Sunday afternoon.

One boy was bitten severely about the face. Both of the boys, who are 8 and 9 years old, were taken to Children's Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Rasheed Shakir was inside a nearby home when someone screamed that the dog was biting the neighbor kids. "I run outside and I see the dog attacking the little boy over there by the van the dog was jumping up on him," described Shakir. "I went to go grab the dog. The dog ran from me. The little boy goes into the house she comes and grabs the dog saying she's sorry, she's sorry."

"The injuries are pretty serious because one of them had kind of a severe gash in his face," said Sergeant Christopher aylor of the Cincinnati Police. It is illegal to own a pit bull in the City of Cincinnati. As a result of this incident, police have cited Carletta Robinson, the dog's owner.

Robinson said she got the dog for protection after someone broke into her house.

"I'm here with four kids and I don't want to have a gun you know because the gun can accidentally go off," explained Robinson. "So I thought a dog would be the safest route."

Robinson said the dog, who has never harmed her kids, was outside on a chain when it got away.

"He plays good with them every day," said Robinson. "I've had the dog myself for about six months and he's done good with my kids you know as far as running around playing with them. He's never attacked them. He's never growled at them. I'm tore up."

Police cited Carletta Robinson for owning a pit bull within city limits and the SPCA also cited her for failing to confine and register the dog.

The SPCA now has the dog which will be held as evidence in a case against the owner. Sgt. Taylor emphasized that it is illegal to own this type of dog within city limits.

"Pit bulls are illegal in the City of Cincinnati and we're not going to tolerate people having pit bulls in this area and as you can see what happened today was very dangerous," said Sgt. Taylor. "They're vicious."

Robinson will now have a hearing in municipal court where the court will decide if the dog will be destroyed.