Sylmar Man Mauled by Dogs Sues City Over Animals’ Previous Release

A Sylmar man who was mauled by two pit bull terriers last year sued the city of Los Angeles on Friday for releasing the animals after earlier attacks on neighborhood animals.

Attorney Jeff Zinder said the city knew the dogs were dangerous before they attacked his client, Acension Cervantes, 41, in February 2000. Zinder said the city should not have returned the dogs to their owners after earlier impoundments for vicious behavior.

“They were returned to their owners despite the fact that the dogs had exhibited vicious and dangerous propensities,” Zinder said.

The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, seeks unspecified damages for lost wages and medical expenses.

A spokesman for the city attorney could not be reached for comment Friday.

The dogs were impounded in February 1999, after they attacked neighborhood dogs, Zinder said. They were impounded again after they attacked a 300-pound pig in November 1999, he said.

In February 2000, the dogs tore open Cervantes’ scalp and ripped off his left ear as he arrived for work at Valley Crest Tree Co. in Sylmar.

After the first attacks, the city did not hold a hearing and simply put the dogs up for adoption,” Zinder said.

“They were . . . given back to the owners. Three months later they escaped again and almost killed my client.”

The pit bulls were destroyed last year after a hearing that determined they were dangerous to the public.

Cervantes, a Mexican immigrant and father of three, was unloading supplies from his truck when the dogs mauled him. He fought off the dogs, grabbing the male’s lower jaw. A nearby truck driver heard Cervantes’ screams and called police.

Cervantes has undergone several reconstructive surgeries for his injuries. He is seeking compensation for lost wages, as well as hospital and medical expenses.

The lawsuit also alleges the pit bulls--a male and a female--lived illegally at a house with two other dogs, Zinder said. The owners were caring for four dogs without a kennel license, despite warnings from the Los Angeles Department of Animal Control, he said.

This is the second lawsuit filed on behalf of the victim. The first was filed against the dogs’ owners, who declared bankruptcy, and the owners of the house where the dogs were kept, Zinder said. He said the action against the homeowners was settled confidentially.