His bottle was worse than his bark.
That’s what police are saying about 55-year-old Sergey Uzilov, who was accused of fracturing a man’s nose during a turf war at the Manhattan Beach Dog Run.
Officials said that Uzilov and his 66-year-old victim were arguing about their dogs and the use of the run, located on Oriental Boulevard near Irwin Street on the morning of June 13 when Uzilov allegedly chucked a water bottle at the older dog owner, hitting him in the face with it.
The victim, a retired cop from Emmons Avenue named Ira Levine, told investigators that he wasn’t in any pain until the following morning. He went to the doctor, and learned that his nose had been fractured, officials said.
After a brief investigation, detectives from the 61st Precinct tracked down and arrested Uzilov, a resident of Ocean Avenue near Avenue Y, after questioning, charging him with assault and criminal possession of a weapon.
Gravesend dog owner John Alario has been bringing his yellow Labrador Vito to the Manhattan Beach dog run for almost three years, and said that the dog run is normally a very peaceful place.
“Outside of this incident everybody is very harmonious,” Alario told this newspaper. “People with bad dogs don’t come down here.”
Last year, City Councilmember Mike Nelson allocated $125,000 from the New York City budget to relocate the Manhattan Beach dog run to another area in the park next to the tennis courts.
At the time some, residents living on the other side of Oriental Boulevard complained about too much noise coming from the dog run.
But tennis players balked at the proposed move and the Manhattan Beach dog run has remained right where it is.
Supporters of the dog run fear that any negative publicity involving the dog run will revive efforts to relocate it.
Manhattan Beach resident and Community Board 15 member Ed Eisenberg calls the lot “the best run dog run in the city.”
