TEMPE, Ariz. – A woman is recovering from her injuries, and a chihuahua is dead after a fight at a Tempe park in November, and it all started over an unleashed pit bull.
Donna Steen was told by Tempe Police to capture video when a dog is off leash in Dwight Park, which is located near Kyrene Road and Southern Avenue, a move that tends to irk the dog owner.
“She called me a ‘Karen,’ which I never heard the term before, other than the name that my cousins have,” said Steen.
Dictionary.com defines ‘Karen’ as a “pejorative slang term for an obnoxious, angry, and entitled middle-aged woman who uses her privilege to get her way or police other people’s behaviors.”
Steen said the young boys of one family, in particular, would allow their pit bull to roam free. While she reminded them of the rules, they ignored her, leading her to document it and do what Tempe Police told her to.
On November 19, Steen’s concern over dogs roaming free became a reality. She was walking two chihuahuas, and saw an unrestrained pit bull. She said the family that owns the pit bull confronted her as she filmed, yelling obscenities and calling her slanderous names.
Screenshot taken from a video that shows a portion of the incident.
“What did you call me?” Steen said in a video that captured the encounter.
“A Karen. You’re a racist,” a woman in the video said. “That’s OK, Karen. That’s OK. We’re putting you on Facebook Live so everyone knows who the [expletive] you are.”
In another part of the video, the woman said this to Steen.
“You keep recording minors. You’re a pedophile.”
Steen said the incident escalated.
“She came at me with both hands and just shoved me,” Steen recalled. “I was flat. My head bounced on the asphalt, and it took me I don’t know how long to get my wits together.”
It was in that moment, as Steen laid on the ground, that she realized the pit bull had come for the chihuahua.
“Mia had Trixie in her jaws, and there was blood all over the place,” Steen said. “This is only 3 or 4 feet in front of me, and it happened just like that.”
The chihuahua’s trachea was cut in half, her lungs were punctured, with bite wounds all over the place.
Trixie was put down.
We visited the pit bull’s owner to get their side of the story, and we were told that once Tempe Police were called, they were visited by animal control. They were, however, not forced to make any changes.
“To the person of the dog, I apologize, but I didn’t expect for things to escalate how they did,” the owner said. “Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do when [there are] minors.”
Prosecutors with the City of Tempe said they are considering charges for the people involved. They also said they don’t believe the pit was off leash, but will continue to investigate.
Under Tempe’s city code, dogs are not allowed to be off-leash in public.
Source link https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/woman-hurt-chihuahua-dog-died-after-attack-tempe-park
