Intimidated, he douses dog with gasoline
A bicyclist who said he was intimidated by an off-leash neighborhood dog doused it with gasoline and threatened to set in on fire.
Another pit bull story? Nope. The ferocious beast at the center of this confrontation – a nine-pound ball of fluff named Benny — was a Lhasa Apso. Earlier reports that labeled the dog a Shih Tzu were incorrect, his owner, Frank Perlongo, told MySuburbanLife.com.
Daniel Maskill, 53, of Riverside, Ill., was arrested and charged with misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty and assault after the Tuesday night confrontation.
According to Riverside police, Maskill was bicycling home through Harrington Park with a can of gas he had just purchased gas for his lawnmower when he encountered the dog.
“He was upset it was off leash,” Riverside Chief Thomas Weitzel told the Chicago Tribune. “He said he felt intimidated.”
Maskill threatened to set the dog and its owner on fire, and, although he never struck a match, Maskill did douse the 9-pound dog with gas, Weitzel said.
Weitzel said the assault charge stemmed from Maskill’s alleged threat to the owner.
The owner told police he likes to let his dog romp in the park, but town rules require dogs be on leashes. The owner was issued a citation.
(Photo: This is not the Lhaso Apso involved in the incident, but one we met in our travels — Tugg, of Seattle)
Posted by jwoestendiek May 27th, 2011 under Muttsblog.
Tags: animals, argument, assault, charges, chicago, confrontation, daniel maskill, dispute, dog, dogs, doused, frank perlongo, gas, gasoline, harrington park, leash, lhasa apso, park, parks, pets, riverside, shih-tzu, unleashed
Comments
Comment from Anonymous
Time May 27, 2011 at 8:59 pm
Obviously not a dog owner/lover.
Comment from Iain
Time October 18, 2011 at 3:41 am
Wow, that guy should be locked up. I know that dogs barking at you can be intimidating but in what world does that allow you to pour gasoline over a dog and threaten to light it. I feel a lil intimidated by people taller then me but I don’t think people would be amused if I ran around threatening to do something that could cause grievous wounds.
Comment from Anonymous
Time February 6, 2012 at 8:00 pm
I worked with this guy at Loyola Medical Center. He was the guy most likely to go “Postal”. When he got married, he let co-workers know after it happened. Same thing when he had children. He was a guy who was very quiet and kept to himself. Isn’t that the description of most maniac killers? I’m waiting for him to do a “MASsKILLing”, pun very much intended.
Comment from Kelly
Time May 27, 2011 at 7:05 am
Now THAT is abuse!