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70-year-old man attacked while walking dog
A 70-year-old Pasadena grandfather says he was violently attacked during his daily dog walk along the Arroyo after a confrontation over leash laws.
PASADENA, Calif. - A 70-year-old Pasadena grandfather says he was violently attacked during his daily dog walk along the Arroyo after a confrontation over leash laws.
Bill Woods says he takes his chocolate labs, Woof and Kibble, on the walk nearly every day — sometimes on leash, sometimes off.
"They stay with me — every 10 seconds they’re turning around to see where I am to make sure we’re in line of sight. That’s the rule. If they get out of line of sight I call them and they come back," Woods said.
Woods said Saturday morning's walk took a turn when Kibble briefly sniffed one of two young girls walking with their father.
"I called him back and he came and we kept walking," Woods said. "He started yelling at me about how walking dogs off leash is illegal and I said thank you, thank you, and he kept doing it. He said, 'You think you’re something special?' I said, 'I’m special enough I guess,' and then after that we got into yelling with words you can’t say on TV. And finally he charged me. He just threw me on the ground and walked off."
Woods said he caught up to the man to take a picture for police. That’s when he said the attacker body-slammed him to the ground.
"It all happened so fast and so violently that I didn’t — I can’t really tell you what dance I did in the air," Woods said. "But I flew for a while and hit the ground hard."
A witness recorded part of the altercation on a cell phone and rushed to help. Woods said he was left bloodied and bruised, and that his glasses, which he relies on to see, had landed about 40 feet away. He filed a police report immediately.
Pasadena police said the incident is under investigation and asked for tips from the public. In a statement, the city added: "We do have a Pasadena municipal code that requires dogs be on a leash in a public setting, but that’s not an excuse for a confrontation that should be left to the police to handle."
"The city knows that I didn’t have them on leash and if they want to give me a ticket they’re welcome to do that," Woods said. "But that doesn’t give anybody an excuse for hitting people. The ordinance doesn’t say anything about leaving people bleeding on the floor of the Arroyo."
Pasadena police can be reached at (626) 744-4241. You can also report anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.