FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A Fort Lauderdale man called to report people were shot at a popular sandwich shop in Fort Lauderdale around dinnertime Sunday, officials said.
Two Fort Lauderdale police officers responded to Laspada’s Original Hoagies located at 1495 SE 17th Street after a 911 caller said 13 people were shot before hanging up, investigators said.
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Deputies made contact with a Laspada’s employee and learned that there was no shooting, officials said.
Instead, the employee told officers that there was a man he believed to be mentally ill yelling at staff, refusing to leave the property.
When officers arrived at the sandwich shop, they found Stefan Pastor, 37, enraged for being refused service and accusing Laspada’s staff of taking his money, officers said.
Pastor was the one who placed the 911 call, employees said.
At the request of Pastor, he and the two officers continued the conversation outside of the restaurant.
During the conversation, Stefan asked officers if he could take his dog out of the car.
"Can I get my dog out of the car?" Pastor asked officers. "In case something happens, you guys got two and it’s (the dog) and I."
The officers told Pastor that it would be a safety concern, and he was not permitted to take his dog out of the car.
The officers then explained to Pastor that the any establishment reserves the right to deny service to anyone and that Pastor could lodge a complaint the store’s management.
Officers then allowed Pastor to leave after believing him to be compliant and the situation resolved.
As Pastor approached his Silver Mercedes-Benz vehicle, he yelled back to officers.
"I’m going to let my dog go," he shouted as he let the dog out of his vehicle.
The dog was a trained Belgian Malinois, a breed recognized by officers because FLPD uses the same canines for law enforcement purposes. Pastor was giving the dog commands as it circled the officers, which was at times lunging at them. Throughout the altercation, officers continued commands for the dog to be put back in vehicle were ignored by Pastor.
At that point, officers said they felt threatened that Pastor was using the trained attack dog as a weapon, they noted in a police report.
Finally, Pastor shouted “go” and waved his hand in the direction of the officers.
The dog, showing its teeth and growling jumped towards one officer forcing the officer to fire their gun four times at the animal. The dog made an audible whimper before fleeing the scene with an apparent gunshot injury.
Pastor showed no emotion after his dog was shot, officers noted.
Pastor was then asked to lay down, and he once again ignored the request of officers who were then forced to use a Taser to subdue him. The Taser had no effect on Pastor, officers said. Finally, a third officer came in and helped apprehend Pastor, placing him in handcuffs.
After Pastor was treated for a minor Taser wound he was taken to a Broward County Jail and charged with assault on an officer, resisting arrest, cruel death, pain and suffering on an animal and misuse of 911 system.
The dog was eventually found a few blocks away. The status of the dog's health is not known.