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Updated: Volunteer Firefighter Attacked By Dog After Responding To Reported RV Crash; Driver Arrested
April 4, 2024
An Escambia County volunteer firefighter was attacked by a dog after responding to a reported vehicle crash with a trapped occupant Wednesday afternoon in Bratt, and the driver of the vehicle was arrested.
The Walnut Hill and McDavid stations of Escambia County Fire Rescue were dispatched about 5 p.m. to the reported recreational vehicle crash on North Highway 99 near Hanks Road. The first firefighter to arrive was a Walnut Hill volunteer in his personal vehicle. The firefighter reportedly arrived to find the driver standing outside the vehicle with two unleashed dogs. As the firefighter walked toward the RV, one of the dogs attacked him, knocking him to the ground from behind.
A Escambia County Sherriff’s Office deputy had arrived moments before the firefighter and was told by the driver that two aggressive dogs were in the vehicle, along with his 80-year old mother, and ECSO spokesperson said Thursday morning. He was instructed to remove the dogs from the RV and complied. He then removed the dogs from their leashes before the attack.
The dog was shot by the deputy to stop the attack. The dog died a short time later.
The firefighter suffered non-life-threatening injuries to his arm and was transported by Escambia County EMS to Atmore Community Hospital where he was treated and released. Long and his mother were not injured.
The driver of the RV, later identified as 47-year-old Robert Timothy Long, age 47 of Pace, allegedly resisted a law enforcement officer on scene after Escambia County Animal Control arrived.
Long appeared to be very distraught and was holding the second dog, a pit bull, by the leash and refused to let the dog get out of arm’s reach, according to an arrest report.
“Long was already known to be a sovereign citizen and did not cooperate with law enforcement,” the report states, and he ignored multiple commands to move.
When a trooper attempted to speak with Long, he became “extremely aggressive” and began cursing at the trooper and “tightly gripping the dog causing the dog to whine in pain”, the ECSO report continues. He was instructed to tie the dog to a tree but refused.
Long walked to the back of the property.
“Long placed his back against a metal garage door and placed his dog in front of him knowing that law enforcement was hesitant to detain him due to fear of being bit by his dog,” the deputy wrote.
“At one point Long sat back down and picked up a the end of a rake and when commanded to drop it, he complied. Long then picked up a plastic coffee can that was filled with dirt but again dropped it when commanded.”
“Due to the aggressive dog and Long not being compliant with law enforcement orders and fear of Long letting his dog go to attack an officer if we attempted to detain Long, I utilized my agency issued taser,” the deputy continued in his report. Long was then detained.
Long was booked into the Escambia County Jail Wednesday night on charges of resisting an officer without violence, felony intimidating or hindering law enforcement duties, and misdemeanor “dog owner reckless disregard”, according to jail records. He remained in jail mid-morning Thursday with bond set at $3,150.
Individuals reported that the RV had been in the ditch for several hours, since at least 2 p.m. Reports indicated that someone later reported it as a traffic accident with a trapped occupant about 5 p.m. There was a female occupant in the RV when first responders arrived that was unable to exit the RV due to its angle in the ditch and a pre-existing medical condition, but she was not “trapped”.
The southbound RV apparently left the roadway near Ashcraft Road and continued in the ditch for about one-quarter of a mile before coming to rest after striking a culvert past Hanks Road.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Highway Patrol are continuing their investigation.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to clarify that the dog was unleashed at the time of the time of the attack and shooting, according to information released Thursday morning by the ECSO. The story previously stated the dog was leashed when shot based upon preliminary information from the scene.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
22 Responses to “Updated: Volunteer Firefighter Attacked By Dog After Responding To Reported RV Crash; Driver Arrested”
This guy needs to be fitted for a tin foil hat and sent back to his basement
@ Bill, all I can say is wow , how do you keep coming up with this liberal business. Please read the article a little slower that may help you understand. The owner knew the dogs where aggressive but let them of leash. The firefighter was simply trying to do his job and at minimum do a welfare check on her to make sure she wasn’t injured or even suffered from a pre existing condition. I’ve read enough of your comments in the past to know you’d be the first to post a negative comment, had the firefighter or deputy just left the scene and something critically was wrong with the woman or even possibly deceased. The deputy absolutely did the right thing. But I always enjoy reading your post with your vast experience.
@Greayson, did you even read the article. There was an elderly female who was somewhat trapped inside the RV. The suspect had the dogs on a leash then removed the leash knowing the dogs were aggressive. The dog attacked a firefighter who was there to help. The deputy shot the dog who had been cut loose by the owner . The owner suspect is at fault here he could have simply left the dogs on the leash and stepped back to calm the dogs, but he chose to remove their leashes. The owner suspect was already in an agitated state which I’m sure the dog sensed. Meanwhile the elderly lady still hasn’t been helped or received any medical attention, what a wonderful son he is . Yep the deputy did as he should have and shot the dog, I can promise you I won’t be bit by a dog especially when released by a careless irresponsible pet owner .
He should not have shot the dog if you are going to go and try to arrest a guy or even talk to him and you know they have protective dogs then it is not the owner’s fault. just imagine if I walk up to you and you have some protective dogs and they bite me then somebody shoots him will you be mad? That is one of the dumbest things I have ever heard a cop someone who protects us as United States citizens is going to shoot a protective dog i understand the guy being resistant but I do not understand the dog at all.
Sounds like the second dog should’ve been shot the moment the owner used it as a weapon to prevent arrest.
@Bill-ever been bit by a big aggressive dog? Ever been threatened to have a big aggressive dog unleashed on you while you were trying to do your job?
@bewildered-maybe learn the definition of a motor vehicle accident and understand a wrecker ain’t towing a vehicle if people are in it; a thing called liability.
‘Sovereign citizen’. Funny. How’d that work out for him?
Bill, I might be misunderstanding your comment but I did not read anything in this story that said the owner of the dog was in danger for dog to protect. The dog attacked someone that was not a threat and the deputy shot the dog. That dog was aggressive and the incident of the dog attacking was uncalled for. Job well done deputy.
This man should have never took his dog off leash. I have a pit and I go through extra measure to make shore that she is leashed at all times. I tell people they can not interact with her in public. Florida law states a Six foot leash. I expect her to be under my control. My dog will not be put into the position this man put his dog into . Because I value her life more alot more than a lot of these two legged dunces like the man in this rv.
This dude jumped in front of our bus during drop off hours
@Bill…. I am with u on cops shoot 1st , ask questions Never.. The cop told him to remove the mom and dogs from the RV , after he told him his mom and 2 aggressive dogs were in there.. In the safety of the dwelling is where they should have stayed! However , since Mr. Long chose to listen to this dumbazz and get the dogs out, the next step should have been to keep them on leash.. Finally, when the dog knocked the guy down, why was the owner not allowed to get his dog!?! Part of me wants to be ok with it bc it was a bulldog. I will not allow 1 on my hill. I do not like them bc they can not be trusted around other animals.. But that man must have loved the dog to get that upset over it getting shot .. Everybody can point fingers and blame the man , the dog, or the man for having the dog. But at the end of the day, IT WAS THE COPS FAULT FOR HAVING HIM REMOVE THE DOGS FROM THE SAFETY OF THE RV . POINT BLANK. PERIOD.! None of it would have even happened if the cop had not instructed the man to get the dogs out.. But I’m sure if the man had said no, there may have been trouble by not doing what he was told.. Police completely at fault on this one.. THEN the owner
@seriously
Thank you.
If he’s a sovereign citizen, treating our first responders so rudely, he might try moving to a sovereign citizen stronghold.
Haiti comes to mind. What about Yemen? The Cay Sal Bank of the Bahamas, nice. Oh, Sudan! Honduras is reachable by road with the RV.
If he makes it back to the United States of America, he can request political asylum and give up his sovereignty and maybe be a bit more thankful for what we have here.
Instead of helping the guy figure out a way to pull the RV out of the mud, he was told to get his elderly mother and dangerous dogs out of the vehicle. Who decided that the elderly woman was hurt or trapped? More likely she was more comfortable inside than standing around or walking in high grass on uneven ground. Her and the dogs weight would have made no difference to a wrecker getting the RV back on solid ground.
All dogs get nervous and are more prone to bite when a lot of commotion is going on around them! I am certain that the fact the guy was no stranger to law enforcement didn’t help any
No comments about perp being a “ Sovereign citizen”???
“Whenever a cop shoots a dog protecting it’s owner it makes me wonder if that’s the 1st thing they teach at the academy. 1. If anyone but you has a dog, shoot first and ask questions later.”
You sir, are an idiot. The dog had attacked and knocked down the firefighter according to the article. Was it the owners fault? Yes. Did the officer do the right thing? Of course based on the article. Unless of course you are a fool who values a dog’s life more than the life and wellbeing of a human.
sovereign citizen? So this clown believes the law of the land does not apply to him? I believe chaos follows you as the look on your mugshot proves.
@northender,
If your dog gets loose and attacks someone, it getting shot is the least of your worries. You can be held liable and can do jail time. If you have a dog that you know will be aggressive and there is a possibility it can harm someone, you should to get rid of it ASAP. God forbid it attacks a child or an elderly person that can’t fight back.
Let me guess A PITBULL////
I know running off the road sucks and the wind was bad that day. BUT when there is people wanting to make sure you ok, DONT BITE THEM.
Then not sure what he did after but he turned a bad day into a bad set of days with all the court and jail… All because of a set of circumstances that just ended terrible.
It is your duty to maintain control of your dogs. If someone is approaching and you know your dog is aggressive, you move away or warn them. I would never let someone approach my dog because I know he not a nice dog. If he got loose and attacked someone then they have the right to shoot him to protect themselves and I would be sad but not angry.
Apparently he got exactly what he asked for !!! These first responders are there to help you and you didn’t appreciate their help !!! Don’t tempt law enforcement their responsibilities are very real !! With or without your permission !!!
Geuss he no knows that ain’t one of those fancy self-driving Rv.
Bright sunny day and he takes the New RV out muddin? Maybe he needs to sell it to someone like me who knows how to “keep em between the lines.”
So much to unpack here
Whenever a cop shoots a dog protecting it’s owner it makes me wonder if that’s the 1st thing they teach at the academy. 1. If anyone but you has a dog, shoot first and ask questions later.