A man from Joliet, Illinois is sought after by police after tricking a pit bull dog into taking a firework in his mouth moments before he had lighted it up. The dog did not survive the incident.
The incident happened on July 7 when Nicholas Garcia, 24, and his friend were lighting some fireworks in an alley when a dog suddenly appeared; the two decided to have some fun with the animal and intentionally tossed a firework in its direction; the dog chased it and picked it up immediately, moments before it went off its mouth.
The dog’s owner, who had finally caught up with his dog during their usual stroll, witnessed the entire incident. The distraught owner claims that Garcia was amused by the situation, before taking off moments after.
Police have filed charges of ‘destruction of property’ against Garcia, who has turned himself in.
We, the undersigned, strongly feel that the Illinois judicial system should file for much tougher charges, because ‘destruction of property’ does not apply in this case. Dogs are family, sentient beings, but judging by these charges it would seem they are just some objects that got destroyed. This is hardly the case. Garcia needs to spend time behind bars after taking the life of an innocent animal that is only guilty of curiosity.