LAX officer saves pup caught in escalator

It was a close call for a small pup traveling with its owner at LAX.

The dog- wearing a tracksuit- was riding up an escalator at the airport with its owner when its paw got stuck in the landing grate.

From Baltimore, Inna Siegel tells FOX 11, since her dog Luity is a service dog “he uses escalators all the time.” But, the last time didn’t go so well. Last week Siegel and Luity were in Terminal 4 at LAX.

Inna’s hands were full of baggage for her flight home to Baltimore. Luity was on a leash. They were traveling up to the second floor gate area when Siegel says, “He went a little a head of me and he was getting out in front and for some strange reason he got stuck in the (escalator) which never happened before.”

It didn’t go well. His paw got trapped on the top teeth of the moving stairs.

She says, when he got stuck in the grid of the top step, “He was cut. He has 37 stitches and he had to be in surgery for three and a half hours afterwards.”

LAX security video shows her trying to pull him out. Its not working. A Good Samaritan comes by and stops the escalator.

Officer Oscar Gatewood, says, “I noticed the dog was stuck… I looked down and saw the grades have screws…” He used a tool with small hexagon screw drivers to remove the screws and free Luity.

There’s a small yellow sign on the escalator railing with the word “CAUTION”. It encourages parents to watch their children on the escalator… to hold the handrail, hold your child’s hand, no baby strollers… that kind of thing. Siegel says,  “I think they should put signs in front of the escalator warning people with dogs and service dogs to be extra careful.”

Gatewood says he doesn’t think it would matter if they had special dog warnings. Says the airport officer, “I just think if they’re in a hurry and they’re rushing. They’re not paying attention signs won’t really matter.”

Officer Luis Alejandro says he rarely takes his K9 bomb dog Bon up the escalator, but LIFTS HIM at the top step. He’d rather use an elevator and advises travelers with pets to use an elevator 100% of the time.”

That’s what Inna Siegel says she’ll be doing from now on. Says Inna, “We’re never going to go on an escalator again.”

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