Rescuer of Hawthorne Pit Bull Victim Steps Forward

Arthur Casiano successfully fought off two pit bulls that were attacking a neighbor in Hawthorne last month and helped the wounded man call for aid. He then drove away, not stopping to leave his name with police or the victim.

In news stories about the rescue, Casiano was described simply as an unidentified passer-by. However, the 62-year-old retired aerospace worker will be recognized for his heroic feat Monday night when he is presented a plaque at a Hawthorne City Council ceremony.

City officials learned last week that Casiano was the anonymous Samaritan when his daughter, Jackie Flores, called City Hall to tell about her father’s act of bravery.

Casiano said on Friday he would have identified himself to police but he didn’t think what he did was that important. And besides, the rescue had made him late for breakfast, he said.

City spokesman Tom Quintana said Casiano deserves the recognition because he “probably saved this guy’s life.”

Joseph Raymond Collin, 60, suffered deep bite wounds on his arms and right leg on Jan. 27 when two pit bulls escaped from a nearby yard and attacked him as he walked home after buying a morning newspaper. Collin is recovering after surgery to repair extensive damage to his limbs. Although he could not be reached for comment last week, Collin is expected at Monday’s ceremony.

Casiano said that on the day of the rescue he was following his morning routine of going for breakfast at a local diner when he heard cries for help and saw Collins struggling with the two pit bulls near the sidewalk a few doors from his house. Casiano said he couldn’t find a stick or a rock with which to fight the dogs, so he took off his belt and used it to beat the animals off of Collin.

He said he did not worry about his own safety until the dogs began to stare at him. The dogs finally backed away when Casiano snapped the belt several times and began to whip it on the ground in front of the animals.

“I was very fortunate that they didn’t come after me because I was wondering how I would fight both of them off with my belt and hold up my pants with the other hand,” he said.

Casiano doesn’t consider himself a hero. When it happened, he said, he only thought about getting the animals off of Collin.

“It was a pitiful and frightful sight to see him struggling,” Casiano said.

Casiano now realizes that without his help the dogs could have killed Collin. “If that dog had gotten a hold of (Collin’s) throat, even I would have been too late,” he said.

Flores said her father didn’t even tell her about the incident until a week later, when she mentioned a newspaper article about the attack.

She said her father remained nonchalant about the matter during their conversation, until he thought about the rescue and said: “Now that I think about it, those dogs could have gotten me.”

Deputy City Atty. Larry Paine said Gricelda Giron, the owner of the house where the dogs were kept, was issued two citations carrying $1,000 in fines.

However, city officials are considering dismissing them because it is unclear if the dogs were owned by Giron or her son, who is in Mexico and is not expected to return, Paine said. The dogs--a male and female believed to be 1 or 2 years of age--were destroyed last week, said Wayne Ashlock, a spokesman for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Ashlock also said Casiano may have saved Collin’s life. “Without the help of this gentleman, more damage could have been done,” he said.