What to Know
- A man has been arrested for allegedly stabbing a Great Dane mix at Fort Greene Park in February
- Bandit, the Great Dane mix, was left with a puncture wound to the upper chest; he needed surgery
- The defendant, Steven Horn, was charged with animal cruelty, weapon possession and menacing; his lawyer says he acted in self-defense after being attacked twice before by the dog
A Brooklyn man has been arrested for allegedly stabbing a Great Dane mix that bounded up to his own dog in a local park late last month.
Steven Horn, 61, was charged with animal cruelty, weapon possession and other offenses in the Feb. 20 attack, which left the canine victim, whose name is Bandit, with a two-centimeter puncture wound to his chest, court papers say.
Police say Bandit’s owner let the dog off his leash at Fort Greene Park, and Bandit bounded toward Rex, Horn’s much smaller Basenji.
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Horn allegedly stabbed Bandit in the upper chest with a pocket knife while yelling that he would kill the dog, according to court documents.
Bandit's owner then tried to staunch the bleeding with their jacket and took Bandit to the Blue Pearl Animal hospital, according to a complaint filed with the Criminal Court of New York City. Once there, Bandit was treated under deep sedation for a puncture wound to the upper chest that penetrated the skin, deeper tissue layers and underlying muscle, according to court records of the veterinarian report.
Murray Richman, Horn’s lawyer, told the Daily News his client acted in self-defense after having been attacked by Bandit twice before.
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“This is not a puppy,” Richman said. “This is a large dog. ... It’s quite threatening.”
Bandit’s owner rejected Richman’s account, saying Bandit has never bitten a human or another dog.
Bandit's owner previously recalled that the dogs had barked at each other in the past and had got territorial. Allegedly, they were even warned by Horn to walk the other way or there would be an attack.
Horn was arrested on March 4 and released without bail.
After receiving antibiotics and pain medication for the wound, Bandit’s stitches have been removed and he is recovering from the stabbing.
