Police Officer Shoots Attacking Dog in Bethlehem

A Bethlehem police officer pulled out his service pistol and shot and killed a pit bull that had attacked two people in South Bethlehem early Friday morning.

Both victims had to be taken to St. Luke’s Hospital, Fountain Hill, for treatment following the early morning attack on Ontario Street, which followed an argument between one of the victim’s and the dog’s owner, Thomas A. Klotz.

Police said Klotz ordered the dog to attack one of the victims during a fight. Klotz, 36, of 540 Ontario St., was charged with reckless endangerment, simple assault, harassment and resisting arrest. He is being held at Northampton County Prison in lieu of $35,000 bail.

According to the arrest warrant, police were called to the scene at about 4:30 a.m. on a report that a child was on Ontario Street screaming, “My father is getting killed!”

When police arrived, Joshua Colon, 33, of 519 Sioux St., was lying on the ground and bleeding from the face and nose and had suffered a large laceration on his right foot from where the dog had bitten him, according to court papers.

The affidavit said the altercation began as an argument between Klotz and Colon’s sister, Yolanda Colon, 36, who also lives at 540 Ontario St.

According to the warrant, filed by Officer Louis Csaszar, this is what happened:

Klotz started punching Yolanda in the face and body before Joshua Colon jumped in to stop it. Then a fight ensued between Klotz and Joshua Colon. Klotz then called on the dog to attack Joshua. The dog bit Joshua in the foot and he fell to the ground. Klotz then jumped on top of Joshua and started to punch him in the head and face.

Yolanda Colon then tried to pull the dog off her brother, and the dog turned and attacked her, biting her in the left foot. Yolanda also had bruises on her face.

By the time officers arrived, Klotz had fled the scene. But while police were still there, Klotz came back and tried to sneak into the back door of the house. Klotz refused a police order to lie on the ground. When an officer tried to grab him by the arm, he struggled and continued to until he was handcuffed.

The affidavit makes no mention of the dog being shot. However, the police media report says officers tried to take control of the dog for “quarantining purposes, but the dog was out of control and a Bethlehem police officer was forced to shoot the dog with his service pistol.”

“The dog’s body will now be taken for appropriate testing,” the report said. Most likely, the dog’s body will be tested for rabies.