Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Lorain pit bull owner, Michael Kirkwood, cited after multiple dog attacks

OHIO -- A Lorain man whose dog was shot and killed after attacking three people Oct. 16 has had multiple run-ins with the law involving his animals in the past two months, according to Lorain police records.

In the most recent incident, records show Michael D. Kirkwood, 47, of 206 W. 29th St., was charged after his two American Pit Bull Terriers chased and attacked three women.

According to a Lorain police report, officers located the two animals at the corner of West 29th Street and Reid Avenue.

Lorain police Officer Richard Broz, who is the department’s dog catcher, later wrote in his report as he was preparing to shoot the animals with tranquilizer darts when the two dogs ran past officers and charged one of the victims.

One of the victims, a 36-year-old female, climbed on top of a police cruiser to get away from the two dogs at which point a nearby officer opened fire on the animals, killing one and wounding another, Broz wrote. The wounded dog ran off after the incident and police said they were unable to locate it.

The victim was treated for a bite mark on her hand and released at the scene. The two other victims who were attacked prior to police arriving were transported to Mercy hospital. Of those two victims, one was treated for a leg injury and released.

The third victim suffered extensive bites to her leg, foot and finger and was flown to MetroHealth in Cleveland, police said.
Last month, the Lorain County dog warden notified police about a dog bite which occurred Sept. 15 in the 2600 block of Reid Avenue. The victim said she was unloading groceries out of her car when she was attacked by a pit bull, a police report stated.

According to the report, police also received an anonymous call about a woman being attacked at Kirkwood’s address around the same time as the woman who was bit unloading groceries, but they were unable to locate her.
The report stated the victim of the attack is related to Kirkwood, but the woman denied having being attacked near his house.
On Sept. 7, police responded to Kirkwood’s address after receiving reports that two people had been bit.

The male victim told authorities he was at his sister’s residence – who according to the report has the same address as Kirkwood – for a family cookout when he and his 14-year-old daughter were attacked by two pit bull dogs.
Broz wrote in his report that despite the coincidences surrounding the attacks, the victims denied that the animals that bit them resided at the house where the attack took place. The victims told police the dogs that attacked them were “just two random loose dogs.”

Police said the male victim had puncture wounds to his shoulder and a severe bite wound to the inside of his left leg. The juvenile also received a bite wound to her leg, police said.

On Aug. 31, a resident in the 200 block of West 28th Street, told police a pit bull attacked his Doberman Pinscher as he was taking it for a walk. The report stated the Doberman’s owner also was bit in the stomach during the incident.
Authorities said Kirkwood told them his dog was chained up in his yard, but broke free and ran off.
On Aug. 20, a female was cited at Kirkwood’s residence after a man who was walking his bulldog in the 200 block of West 29th Street was approached by an animal matching the description of one of Kirkwood’s pit bulls.
Police said the woman told them she did not live at Kirkwood’s address, but she admitted to being the only adult at the residence at the time of the incident.
Broz wrote in the latest report that in lieu of the events surrounding Kirkwood’s animals, he recommends to the courts they issue a ban to bar Kirkwood from owning further animals due to his “constant reckless endangerment of the public by irresponsible ownership of dogs.”
Kirkwood could not be reached for comment.

(The Morning Journal - Oct 20, 2015)

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