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The widow of a 76-year-old man, who died three weeks after being attacked by two pit bulls in Lincoln Heights while walking his Pomeranian nearly a year ago, is suing the animal’s owners.
Anita Herrera Enriquez’s wrongful death suit names Abelardo Zavala, Abelardo Zavala Jr. and Leticia Zavala as defendants. The suit, filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeks unspecified damages.
The Zavalas could not be immediately reached for comment.
Enriquez’s husband, Valentin Herrera, was attacked about 5:20 p.m. last Feb. 2 about a block from his home, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. His dog, Dodger, also was attacked and died at the scene.
Herrera, who underwent surgeries for brain and arm injuries, died Feb. 27.
The dogs that attacked were male pit bulls named Rocky and Blue that escaped from a property in the 2500 block of North Lincoln Park Avenue, according to the lawsuit.
The dogs attacked the Pomeranian first, then turned their sights on Herrera, the suit says.
“For several minutes, the pit bulls mauled (Herrera), pulling him back and forth on the concrete driveway of the (Zavala) property,” the suit states.
The suit alleges that Zavala Jr. did nothing and watched the dogs attack Herrera. His widow also believes the Zavalas knew the “vicious nature” of their pets, and alleges that the canines had previously attacked up to eight other pedestrians, including a skateboarder, and killed an opossum.
–City News Service
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