BRADENTON BEACH – A woman and her small dog were attacked by an unleashed mastiff at Island Time Bar and Grill, 111 Gulf Drive S. on Aug. 9.
The dog later died, according to the owner.
Bradenton Beach Police Officer Thomas Ferrara was in the parking lot of Circle K at 103 Gulf Drive S. when he heard people screaming for help at the restaurant next door, according to a police report.
After calling for backup, he arrived at the scene and while trying to determine if a weapon was involved in the incident, he heard someone say it was a dog attack and people had been bitten, according to the report.
Ferrara saw a woman, who wished not to be identified, bleeding from her left leg and left middle finger. His attention was then directed to a man, identified as Anthony Santamauro, holding a large English mastiff dog he estimated to weigh more than 100 pounds. Santamauro was holding his shoulder but did not appear to be bleeding.
Video evidence
Due to conflicting stories from witnesses, Sgt. Steve Masi, who had arrived to provide backup, reviewed security footage from the bar revealing what had happened.
“After reviewing the video, I observed Mr. Santamauro enter the Island Time patio area with his dog (which the owner identified as a service dog), through a northwest doorway near the bar,” according to the police report. “Upon entering, Santamauro had the dog walking directly next to him. It appears the mastiff saw the very tiny dog approximately one-tenth its size leashed and sitting under the table with its female owner while she was eating dinner.”
The report goes on to say the unleashed mastiff grabbed the small dog in its jaws and begin shaking it and violently biting. When the small dog’s owner pulled it out of the larger dog’s mouth by pulling on the leash and trying to hold it in the air, the mastiff knocked the woman to the ground. Santamauro dove between the dogs and tried to separate them, at which time he fell face forward to the ground, landing on his shoulder, according to the report.
EMS arrived at the scene, but the female victim refused transport to the hospital for her injuries.
Police said the victim reported her dog later succumbed to its injuries and did not survive the attack. Sgt. Masi contacted animal control, which is investigating the incident.
Santamauro was issued a city ordinance violation. The female victim said she did not want Santamauro to be “in a lot of trouble,” but did want him to be responsible for any hospital treatment costs and other bills associated with the incident, according to the report.
