A pit bull was ruthlessly stabbed to death in Central Park by a man carrying a switchblade on Saturday night. The incident took place at about 8:30 p.m. by East 106th Street and East Drive, an NYPD spokesperson confirmed.
“The stabber was walking three dogs without a leash when he encountered Eli, a German shepherd pit bull mix, who was being walked by his 43-year-old owner and a 51-year-old man she was with,” reports The New York Daily News. The couple was also walking a chihuahua when they encountered the man’s unleashed dogs.
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An argument erupted between the parties which led to the stabber’s unleashed dogs biting Eli and the chihuahua. When the woman attempted the break up the dog attack, the man pulled out a switchblade, stabbed Eli, then fled the scene.
The stabber is still at large.
Eli was taken to a local animal clinic where he had to be euthanized due to his injuries, said the NYPD.
Anyone with relevant information about this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website or by sending a direct message to @NYPDTips on Twitter. All calls are strictly confidential.
pitbulls they did us a favor
Oh stop. Your comment is ignorant and ininformed. You show your stupidity. And your inherent cruelty. Sorry to be unkind, I usually don’t respond to these, but this was a living thing. No living thing deserves this kind of treatment. This was an unthinkable crime that could have so easily be avoided.
“…Eli, a German shepherd pit bull mix…” on a leash.
Hey James, an ignorant comment like that deserves another. Would have been better if it were you.
This breaks my heart, and could have happened to us. When we walk our dog on-leash, she is often bombarded by off-leash dogs who come running up to her, and she is very reactive. We often have to yell at the owners to leash their dogs (it’s illegal not to leash your dog in the city by the way, unless it’s off-leash hours after 9pm). I hope they catch this murderer!
I walk my dog every day in Central Park, and I am appalled by this vicious act of animal abuse. I hope that Eli’s grieving owner, who must be feeling profoundly traumatized by this sudden, violent loss, knows that everyone I know who has read this story is thinking of her with profound sympathy and solidarity.
And to James’s cretinous comment: my dog has been attacked by numerous off-leash dogs in Central Park but not once by a pit bull, even though we encounter them often. The pit bulls we meet in the park are gentle and playful, and I have yet to meet one who hasn’t put my somewhat reactive dog at ease.
James was just seeking the attention he lacks in life.