Police say 10 year old Marquise Hubbard was inside the fenced-in yard with another boy who lived at the home while playing with a female American Pit Bull Terrier when the attack started. Police say Hubbard ran out of the yard, left the gate open, and the dog followed him outside the fence.
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| Police said a 10-year-old boy was bitten by a pit bull at this residence, 1415 Fifth Ave. SE. |
Hubbard’s father says his son suffered severe injuries to his chest, hands and legs. Despite the severity of the boy’s injuries, one neighbor says he’s not surprised by Tuesday night’s incident.
“I heard this scream, “Get it off me, get it off me!,“ said neighbor who witnessed the mauling Donald Brown.
Donald Brown says he saw the pit bull mauling 10 year old Marquise Hubbard Tuesday night.
“He had lacerations to the leg and you could actually see bone, from the kneecap down, his bone was hanging out of the skin. It was not a pretty sight,” said Brown.
Another man ran to the boy’s rescue.
“He ended up having to hit it with a brick just to get it to let go of its grip,” said Brown.
Both victims were taken to the hospital. 18 year old Eddie Frye was taken to Saint Luke’s Hospital, but was later released. The dog will now be quarantined at Cedar Rapids Animal Control a ten day time span.
“When the bite was severe as it is and because it did bite two people the dog is current on its rabies vaccination but we’re holding it here pending the police investigation,” said Cedar Rapids Animal Control Program Manager Diane Webber.
Program Manager Diane Webber says part of that investigation will determine if the dog was provoked.
“It may come down to a court hearing to make that determination, maybe not. It’s an open police investigation right now,” said Webber.
Brown says he’s seen people teasing the four pit bulls that live behind the six foot fence surrounding the house. He says the kids use sticks to tease and entice the dogs.
“I see constantly children teasing them; adults teasing them. When you do that so often to a dog, eventually they’re going to attack,” said Brown.
But Brown says ultimately, the dog is not to blame.
“I think it’s the responsibility of the owner,” said Brown.
If the dog was provoked, it could be allowed to return home. If not, the dog could be considered vicious and could not live in city limits. What happens to the dog after that point would be determined in a court hearing.
(Eastern Iowa News Now - June 30, 2011)