Police: Man stabs dog after dispute in Central Park; dog euthanized
NEW YORK -- A dispute in Central Park ended with a dog being stabbed Saturday night; that dog had to be euthanized due to its injuries.
It happened around 8:30 p.m. by the 106th Street entrance of Central Park.
Police say there was a dispute between the owner of a female German Shepherd-pit bull mix named Eli and the owner of three unleashed pit bulls.
This took place during the park's mandatory leash hour, which is 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
It's unknown what that dispute was about, but eventually Eli, who was leashed, was attacked by at least one of the unleashed dogs. The owner of those unleashed dogs then allegedly stabbed Eli.
A witness told CBS2 he saw Eli right after the stabbing.
"You could tell the dog was injured. It was bleeding out. There was a lot of blood on the floor, but besides that, the owner was distraught. His wife couldn't come close to the dog because there was too much blood on the floor," the witness said.
The owner of the unleashed dogs ran off.
Eli was taken to a nearby clinic and had to be euthanized.
Other dog owners tell CBS2 they try to keep their dogs away from pit bulls in general whenever they see them, especially if they're unleashed.
"When I see those pit bulls, I walk a little far away from them. It's very scary," neighbor Lorenzo Hernandez said.
"Whoever owns a pit bull should have them leashed. I don't care if they're friendly to the family and family friends. It might even be friendly to other humans, but keep them on a leash because they're not friendly to other pets," neighbor Horacio Rodriguez said.
Police have not made any arrests so far. The investigation is ongoing.