Texas deadly canine assault got here after AmStaffs aggressive coaching: Police
A married Texas couple had been criminally charged after their animals killed an 81-year-old man and injured three different folks.
Investigators consider the couple had educated their canine to be aggressive previous to the deadly assault.
Christian Alexander Moreno and Abilene Schnieder of San Antonio, had been each arrested after the Feb. 24 deadly mauling of Air Drive Veteran Ramon Najera Jr.
Moreno and Schnieder, each 31, face felony expenses of a harmful canine assault inflicting loss of life and felony neglect inflicting the damage of an aged particular person after two of their canine escaped from their yard and unleashed fury. The couple remained jailed Friday on $125,000 bond every, a San Antonio Police sergeant mentioned.
Najera was killed and his 74-year-old spouse and two different folks had been injured within the assault, police reported.
The ambush got here after weeks of more and more violent conduct by the canine and investigators consider the couple had been encouraging the conduct by coaching, an arrest affidavit reveals.
Police obtained a number of ideas the couple had “been breeding the canine and coaching the canine to be aggressive with meat,” the affidavit reads.
Based on the affidavit, Moreno instructed investigators he had complied with town’s Animal Management Companies (ACS) tips to maintain the animals leashed, however a witness video confirmed the canine weren’t carrying collars.
“Initially, a very powerful half is to the household. To say we’re sorry. It was heartbreaking to see the entire incident go down,” Schnieder instructed native Information 4 earlier than her arrest Wednesday.
She mentioned she and her husband by no means deliberate to harm anybody and that “we did not elevate our canine to be imply.”
ACS spokesperson Lisa Norwood instructed USA TODAY the canine, American Staffordshire terriers, and had been euthanized.
‘He was attempting to protect her’
Najera and his spouse had been at their residence west of downtown San Antonio when the 2 canine escaped their fenced-in yard about 2 p.m., as Najera and his spouse had been making their approach to their car, authorities mentioned.
“The canine went after each of them, however he was attempting to protect her as they walked to their automotive,” San Antonio Fireplace Division Chief Charles Hood instructed USA TODAY Friday.
The canine latched onto Najera and dragged him alongside the road earlier than they had been chased away by San Antonio firefighters wielding decide axes.
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Najera’s spouse was critically injured, Hood mentioned, and a bystander who struck the animals with a rake was bitten on the hand. A responding hearth captain was additionally bitten within the decrease leg, Hood mentioned.
Rabies checks on the canine got here again destructive and everybody who was taken to a hospital had been handled and launched, he mentioned.
The canine, King and Snow, had been euthanized by ACS later that evening, Norwood mentioned. A 3rd, named Legend, was put down the following day after the animal was discovered roaming the road,
“There was not affirmation that animal was concerned within the assault, however the house owners surrendered the canine legally so the choice was made they’d all be euthanized,” Norwood mentioned.
More and more violent conduct
“It was reported by bystanders on scene that they (neighbors) had had points with the canine beforehand,” Hood mentioned Friday
Schnieder instructed police she’s been afraid of the canine since they had been sterilized, court docket information present. The transfer, she mentioned, made the animals extra aggressive, and Schnieder instructed police they started preventing one another within the household’s yard.
Schnieder mentioned she started recording “conversations along with her husband concerning how harmful the canine had grow to be,” however investigators mentioned the couple continued to maintain the canines within the unsecured yard with out chains or different tethers.
Schnieder additionally instructed police she requested Moreno to return the canine to ACS “for everybody’s security.”
Moreno, arrested on Feb. 24, is due in court docket March 28 for a preliminary listening to on the fees. His spouse is due in court docket on April 4, police mentioned.
Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending information for USA TODAY. Attain her at [email protected] and comply with her on Twitter @nataliealund.
