A man accused of opening fire on a Brooklyn street and striking a service dog belonging to a woman with Down syndrome was taken into custody Tuesday, police and law enforcement sources said.
Adrian Benitez, 29, was arrested at about 8:15 a.m. and faces charges including attempted murder, three counts of assault, criminal possession of a weapon, reckless endangerment and aggravated cruelty to animals, according to police.
Investigators allege Benitez fired a shot during a dispute with a man who had been speaking to a woman on 31st Street near Fifth Avenue, close to Greenwood Cemetery, around 5:45 p.m. on Aug. 19, sources said.
The man believed to have been the target was not injured, but the bullet struck Honey, a 7-year-old Labradoodle, sources said.
Honey, who serves as a service dog for 64-year-old Teresa Pezzolla, a woman with Down syndrome, was rushed to a nearby animal hospital and survived the shooting.
“The doctors there were able to pull a 22 caliber right out of the dog,” Pezzolla’s nephew previously told The Post.
“I’m thankful that the bullet didn’t hit my aunt because I think it would have been a lot worse.”
Benitez, who has no prior unsealed arrests, was awaiting arraignment Tuesday afternoon.
