Casual Walk Turns Into Dog Bite, Assault Chrages

A casual Saturday morning walk in Venice, Florida on July 11 turned into a brawl that resulted in a 10-year-old girl suffering personal injuries from a dog bite, a dog barely hanging on to its life because of stab wounds, and aggravated assault charges against a man.

At approximately 10:30 a.m. on the day of the incident, 36-year-old Venice resident Malcolm Hill and his 10-year-old daughter, Hannah Hill, were out walking their dog when a large dog suddenly ran toward them and its owner shouted that it does not get along with other dogs.

The two dogs began fighting and the other dog bit Hannah, according to a release from the Sarasota County, Florida Sheriff’s office.

The report said that the owner of the other dog, 43-year-old Robert Fedigan, came to the scene. At that point, Malcolm Hill pulled out a knife and began to stab Fedigan’s dog in an attempt to stop the fight and the injured dog fled.

According to the release, both men began to argue and Fedigan told deputies that Hill threatened to harm him while still holding the knife.

The release says that at that point, Malcolm and Hannah Hill returned to their home, but Fedigan showed up wielding a hammer and threatening to kill Malcolm.

Deputies responded to the scene after being called and arrested Fedigan for aggravated assault. Hannah Hill received treatment at the scene for the injuries she suffered from the dog bite. The extent of the injuries Fedigan’s dog suffered was not provided by the release.