Harrowing body-worn camera video captured the moments after a Miami woman was allegedly attacked by a dog in West Palm Beach, leaving her with severe bite marks to both arms.
Liliana Marbles said she was walking her mini Yorkie on Monday on 45th Street, when she decided to go to the nearby 7-Eleven at the intersection with N Australian Avenue to get a drink. That's when she said she noticed a pit bull, approximately 30 yards away, that appeared to be off its leash.
"I see a lady with a pit bull," Marbles said. "But I didn't event pay attention to her because who would imagine that something would happen?"
Moments later, Marbles said she heard shouting.
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"All of a sudden, I hear a bark, and I hear a scream: 'Hold your dog!'" she said. "I turn around, and I see a beast coming."
Marbles said the dog then charged her and her pet.
Marbles said she picked up her one-and-a-half-year-old dog, Ponchita, to protect it. According to West Palm Beach Police, Marbles was then knocked to the ground, and the pit bull latched onto her arms. Ponchita was not hurt.
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Police said that a bystander intervened and kicked the pit bull to stop the attack and called 9-1-1.
“There’s a dog trying to bite another dog, and the lady’s bleeding. Oh my god," you hear the witness tell 911 operators.
According to a release, the owner of the pit bull left the scene on a bicycle with her dog in tow, and was intercepted by police down the street. She reportedly identified herself as Amanda Bethea, 38, of Clewiston.
Bethea allegedly told police that her 2-year-old dog, Diamond, was on a leash that "slipped out of her hand." Marbles, however, said that Bethea “was holding a leash that was not attached to the dog’s collar,” at the time of the alleged attack.
Body-worn camera video from authorities showed Marbles interacting with first responders, and being treated for her wounds by an officer.
The video shows a distressed Marbles pleading with police to capture the dog as she bled from both arms which suffered a significant tear from the bites.
“It was like a big burn," Marbles said. "Like my arm got on fire.”
Marbles was taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, where she underwent surgery and was released from the hospital Thursday evening.
She has since started a GoFundMe to help with her medical bills, in which she stated that Ponchita was born the day before her mother passed away and has been a way to deal with depression and anxiety ever since.
Marbles added that she is expecting to have more than three months of physical therapy and recovery.
According to police, Diamond was impounded and is being quarantined by Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control, pending their investigation.
