No Charges for Woman Who Shots 2 Pit Bulls

A 51-year-old St. Petersburg woman who shot two pit bulls Monday evening as they were attacking her mother through an open window will not face criminal charges.

According to the St. Petersburg Police Department, the attack occurred around 6:45 p.m. in the 1100 block of 55th Avenue South.

Ellen Staples, 69, saw the two dogs running loose. Since she’d had previous encounters with them before, she rushed to close a window on the east side of her home before they could get in, an email from the police department stated.

As she tried to close that window, however, the dogs jumped at her and bit her wrist and hands, the email stated. When she called out for help, her daughter, Robin Alotaibi grabbed a handgun and came into the room.

Alotaibi fired three shots at the dogs, “apparently hitting both,” the email said.

The dogs then fled into their own yard.

Owner Mariamma Braxton took the dogs to a local vet for treatment. It is unclear what their condition is.

Staples did not seek medical treatment, the email stated.

As for Alotaibi, “no charges are pending against her,” the email said. That’s because she fired the gun to defend her mother.

The police report, however, has been forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office for possible ordinance violations by the dogs’ owner, police stated.

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