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Public Employee Press
Union Scrapbook
Local 983 member saves toddler from pit bull
A fathers frantic cry for help as a ferocious pit
bull leaped toward his four-year-old daughter caught Local 983 PEP Officer
William Guzman by surprise on Dec. 6, but his response was immediate.
He rushed the bloodthirsty beast and saved the little girls life.
Guzman darted from his vehicle at Orloff Avenue and Van Cortlandt Park
South in the Bronx and jumped in front of the attacking canine, putting
his own flesh on the line as the father picked up his toddler and fled.
The agile animal dashed past Guzman, got to the child and bit her ankles.
Desperate to keep his baby safe, the father dove to the ground and used
his large frame to shield the girls entire body from the pit bull.
The vicious dog tore into the mans leg and wrenched away a chunk
of his calf muscle.
Guzman charged the dog, striking it with his baton and bare fists and
spraying it with Mace until the brute backed off. He radioed for help
and an ambulance arrived quickly.
Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe commended Guzman by naming him an Employee
of the Month, but the girls family calls him a hero.
I dont consider myself a hero, said Guzman. When
I see something, Im able to keep calm, think things through and
react. Guzman, who has been a Parks Enforcement Patrol Officer for
two years, hopes to move up in law enforcement. With his quick response
in the face of danger, any beat he walks will be lucky to have him.
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