The family of a Pomeranian-Papillon mixed breed dog has
filed a lawsuit against the owner of the pit bull who mauled the smaller dog to
death at Montrose Avenue dog beach in March.
Audrey Fisher and her daughter Fayla Rodriguez filed the
suit in Cook County Circuit Court Tuesday, claiming that off-duty police
officer Matthew Bracken failed to intervene or identify when his dog attacked
their dog, Willy.
Fisher incurred $5,700 in veterinary bills as a result of
the attack and Willy died three days later. Bracken allegedly walked away from
the scene with his dog and refused to identify himself. Cell phone camera
photos captured images of Bracken and his dog, and Bracken later admitted to
his superiors that he was the owner of the pit bull, relieved of his duties
pending an Internal Affairs investigation and cited by the Police Department's
Animal Crimes unit for not reporting an animal attack within 24 hours.
The lawsuit claims one bystander tried to stop the attack by
hitting the pit bull on the head, leading Bracken to yell, "Why are you
hitting my (expletive) dog?" He refused to identify himself to Fisher and
allegedly denied he was a cop to another bystander who recognized the
sunglasses he was wearing as one popular among police officers.
Fisher and Rodriguez are suing Bracken only and are seeking
$275,000 in damages.