Man Hit Pit Bull With a Hammer 20 Times, Deputies Say

A 58-year-old Tampa man faces animal cruelty charges after Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies say he struck his pet pit bull about 20 times with a hammer.

According to the sheriff’s office, a fight broke out between Daniel Turk’s pit bull, Tiger, and his cat around 8:25 p.m. Sunday. Turk, deputies say, took out a hammer and hit the dog in the head and face, trying to separate the two.

Turk then dragged the dog outside and continued to strike him, an email to media from the sheriff’s office stated.

Following his arrest, Turk told deputies he hit the dog about 20 times to “knock him out,” the email said.

Turk signed over ownership of Tiger to Hillsborough County and refused to provide treatment for the animal, the sheriff’s office noted.

Both the dog and cat remained in the care of a local emergency clinic on Monday, the sheriff’s office reported. Both are expected to survive.

The hammer was recovered at the scene.

Turk now faces a charge of aggravated cruelty to an animal. He was being held in the Hillsborough County Jail on Monday in lieu of $2,000 bond.

Booking photo courtesy of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office

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