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Duquesne Woman Sues Over
Incident Involving Police K-9
Attorneys: Dog escaped, bit two people in restaurant parking lot
By Staff Reports
The Tube City Almanac
December 20, 2019
Posted in: Crime and Police News, McKeesport and Region News
A Duquesne woman who says she was bitten by a McKeesport police canine officer that got loose from a police officer's yard is suing the department and the dog's handler.
Shanita Beatty, 42, is seeking damages for pain and suffering, hospital and medical bills and lost wages. The lawsuit was filed in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court on Dec. 3.
City officials declined comment.
The lawsuit alleges that Beatty was in the parking lot of an Eden Park Boulevard restaurant on Sept. 8, 2018, when the dog jumped on her, biting her on the neck and forearm.
A second person, Jay Bartrug Jr. of McKeesport, was exiting the restaurant at the same time and was bitten on the left arm and left abdomen, according to a separate lawsuit filed by Bartrug in July.
Beatty was treated at UPMC McKeesport hospital and required physical therapy and numerous follow-up visits with doctors, which caused her to lose her job as a maintenance technician for a real-estate company, her lawsuit contends.
According to the lawsuit, Beatty suffered puncture wounds on her right arm and elbow that has left permanent scarring and diminished range of motion, as well as anxiety and loss of sleep due to the incident.
The lawsuit contends that the canine officer escaped after digging under a fence at police Sgt. Francis Angert's home nearby and alleges that Angert and the police department were negligent "in failing to proactively chain and/or contain the dog."
A source familiar with the incident who spoke on background said a severe storm that night had damaged the fence in Angert's yard.
Climate records obtained by Tube City Almanac from the National Weather Service in Moon Twp. confirmed that more than 2 inches of rain were reported in McKeesport between Sept. 8 and 9, 2019.
According to court records, Bartrug's lawsuit was settled in September. Terms of the settlement were confidential and have not been disclosed.
Originally published December 20, 2019.
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