Police arrested and charged Samuel Cartwright in Texas, 47, after his seven pit bull mixes allegedly mauled to death elderly Freddy Garcia, 71, in an unprovoked attack while he was walking to a neighborhood store in Fresno. Cartwrigh’s bond is set at $100,000. Emergency responders transported Garcia by helicopter to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in downtown Houston, where he was later pronounced dead. The doga were captured by Sheriff’s deputies and Animal Control officers. In the wake of the attack, officials urged locals to take responsibility for their dogs. Under the law, Cartwright could go to prison for between two – twenty years and be charged with a $10,000 fine, convicted to a second-degree felony.
“If you own an animal that you know could, may possibly bite, please — the law states, the animal should be either on a leash, the animal should be within the fence, it’s about having physical control,” Rene Vasquez, Director of Fort Bend County Animal Services, said at the press conference. Cartwright says the dogs do not belong to him. “This devastating tragedy didn’t have to happen. I extend my deepest condolences to the Garcia family and his neighbors as they adjust to the loss of Mr. Garcia,” Sheriff Fagan said. Pit bulls make up only 6% of the dog population but they are more dangerous than other dogs. Pit bull attacks can cause a lot of damage due to their size, strength, and determination. A CDC report on dog-bite fatalities from 1978 to 1998 confirms that pit bulls are responsible for more deaths than any other breed. Their attacks became more and more common.
