An 80-year-old woman died in Seattle, Washington (USA) after trying to protect her dogs from a car thief.
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Ruth Dalton, a local dog walker, was killed last Tuesday (20) after a criminal stole her car, according to a report from the Seattle Police Department. One of the dogs that was in the car at the time of the theft was found stabbed.
The suspect was arrested later that night by a SWAT team and, when captured, he was carrying a bloody knife and Dalton’s Subaru keys, said Deputy Police Chief Eric Barden at a press conference on Wednesday (21).
“This is a tragic and horrific incident. [Dalton was] actively participating in her community… which has been taken from her and from her family, friends, and the community due to this senseless violence,” mourned Barden.
Inside the car were six dogs: one belonging to Dalton and the other five belonging to her clients. After Dalton reacted to the theft, the criminal, identified by the police as Jahmed K. Haynes, dragged her out of the vehicle and attacked her, leaving her seriously injured.
Witnesses tried to help her, but Haynes threatened them with the knife. “This woman was fighting for other people’s dogs and for her own dog in that car. It wasn’t about the car. It was about the dogs,” said witness Laura Dynan to The Seattle Times.
“I have no doubt that she fought that man to save those furry babies. She wouldn’t care about the car… her only concern was the babies of her clients,” said Dalton’s granddaughter, Melanie Roberts, to USA TODAY on Thursday (22), adding that she “fiercely defended those she loved.”
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