Have you ever been attacked by a dog only to be bitten by the dog’s owner? This woman has. Turns out that jogging in a Northern California park can be a risky endeavor.
The somewhat bizarre incident took place in Anthony Chabot Regional Park. A woman, whose name was not disclosed to the media, was on her way home after a run in the park at around 10.30 am when a dog attacked her.
But it was not the dog who left “significant wounds” on the jogger’s forearm. According to the police, it was the dog’s owner who bit the jogger and left visible bite marks on the jogger’s forearm.
We asked our dog bites lawyer in Los Angeles from the Law Offices of Howard Kornberg to review the details of the incident and explain who was to blame for the incident.
How did it happen?
According to a news release issued by the East Bay Regional Park District Police Department, the dog’s owner, identified as 19-year-old Alma Cadwalader, punched, tackled, and then bit the female jogger who tried to shove the female attacker off of her.
In the course of its investigation and interviews with witnesses, the police found out that the assault occurred after the jogger used pepper spray against the dog. The reason the jogger pepper-sprayed the dog was that the latter attacked the jogger, according to the police report.
When the incident occurred, Cadwalader had two dogs with her on an off-leash trail on Goldenrod Trail. Shortly after the incident, the police arrested Cadwalader on suspicion of assaulting the jogger. But then the dog walker told the police her version of the incident.
The alleged attacker claims she acted in self-defense
According to FOX KTVU, Cadwalader claims she bit the jogger in self-defense after the jogger used pepper spray against her dogs. Cadwalader’s dog bites attorney, Emily Dahm, told KTVU that her client is an accomplished equestrian in California who walks dogs for a living and has always been a law-abiding citizen.
“All she did, in this case, was protect two dogs she loved dearly,” said Dahm. Cadwalader’s lawyer explained that the jogger began pepper-spraying the dogs on the questionable assumption that the dogs would attack her. The dog’s owner yelled at the jogger, told her to stop using the pepper spray, and attempted to take the pepper spray away. According to Cadwalader’s attorney, it was the jogger who attacked her client first, and only then did the dog’s owner feel the urge to bite the jogger on the forearm in self-defense.
Cadwalader’s attorney also claims that the jogger was grabbing her client’s hair, kicking her in the groin, and “not letting go of her.” Our dog bites lawyer, Los Angeles, says that after the incident, Cadwalader was arrested on felony charges, including false imprisonment, battery with serious bodily injury, and robbery. Shortly afterward, the dog’s owner bailed out.
If found guilty on all charges, Cadwalader could face up to six years in state prison. Although the injured jogger’s name was not disclosed to the media, KTVU managed to find a woman who identified the victim and described her as “a nurse, a caregiver,” and “an animal lover.”
Although our Los Angeles dog bites attorney has 30 years of experience in handling cases involving dog attacks in California, this is the first one in which a victim is attacked by a dog but bitten by the dog’s owner. However, there is no case our lawyers at the Law Offices of Howard Kornberg would find difficult to litigate. Speak to our attorneys to discuss your case. Call our offices at 310-997-0904 to schedule a free consultation.
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