A man in Syracuse, New York, was arrested and charged with animal cruelty after fatally attacking a dog in the neck.
Thomas Hemmingway told Syracuse Police officers that he had harmed the black and white female pit bull in self-defense, claiming that the dog had bitten him on his right leg. Officers could see no injuries when he pulled up his pants leg to show where he was allegedly attacked.
Hemmingway has now been charged with aggravated animal cruelty, the Syracuse Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Monday, after new evidence showed he confronted the dog without provocation.
The Animal Cruelty Division investigated the case further and found surveillance camera footage of the incident that revealed that the dog had in fact not attacked Hemmingway at all and that his actions were, therefore, not an act of self-defense.
The Facebook post describes how Hemmingway walked along the street towards the dog and its unidentified owner, who had the pit bull on a leash.
“Hemmingway had what appeared to be a large knife in his right hand as he approached the dog,” the post said. “He attempted to grab the dog by the neck or collar, when the dog reacted. Hemmingway then injured the dog once in the neck. The dog was released by the unknown male who had it on a leash and it got away from Hemmingway.
“Hemmingway proceeded to antagonize the dog by stepping towards it and raising the knife above his head and yell. Hemmingway then calmly walks away from the dog. After being injured, the dog wandered into a corner store until Police arrive.”
The dog was rushed to a veterinary medical center but sadly did not survive its injuries.
Hemmingway was arrested and charged with aggravated animal cruelty, and is currently being held in the Onondaga County Justice Center, local news station CNY Central reported.
In the comments of the Facebook post, locals expressed their dismay at the incident.
“I do wish we had “an eye for an eye” laws, when it comes to animal cruelty,” one person commented.
“This makes me sick!” another commenter said.
