Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake police officer suffered minor injuries Sunday when two men allegedly ordered their pit bull to attack.
Salt Lake police detective Greg Wilking called the incident disturbing.
"I think it's another example of this current trend of contempt of cops — an unprovoked attack. The officer wasn't even concerned about these two until they did what they did," he said.
About 5:15 p.m. Sunday, a bicycle officer was escorting a group of children through Liberty Park, 601 E. 1300 South, back to their guardian, when they passed two men with a "large" pit bull on a leash, Wilking said.
"One gives the command for the dog to attack and the dog goes after the officer, but fortunately at that point was restrained by a leash," he said.
After the officer had dropped off the children, he circled back to talk to the two men. While talking to them, the dog remained agitated and continued barking and snapping at the officer, but the men did nothing to try and calm the dog down, Wilking said.
In fact, they seemed to be encouraging the behavior, he said.
As the officer was talking to one man, the other who was holding the dog's leash, eventually "lets him go enough that the dog is able to jump up on the officer and bite his arm," Wilking said.
The dog did not latch on, he said, describing the injuring as more of a "grazing bite."
Brendon Aceves, 19, and Edgar Garcia, 18, both of Salt Lake City, were arrested for investigation of aggravated assault on a police officer. The dog was taken by animal control officers.
