Eugene police arrested a 46-year-old man in connection with the stabbing death of a dog Saturday, Oct. 10.

Officers were called at 10:40 p.m. Saturday to an encampment near a bicycle path on the 2000 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, police said in a news release Monday.

The dog, named Bear, had tried to defend its owner after a man walked into the campsite yelling and being aggressive, the owner of the dog told police. Police spokesperson Chelsea Deffenbacher said the dog was a mix of Akita, chow and collie breeds.

As officers responded, they spotted a suspect on the Ferry Street Bridge who dropped to his knees and put his hands on his head when police approached him. The knife believed to have been used in the stabbing was next to him, police said.

The man told police the dog lunged at him and tried to bite him, and he had puncture wounds on his pant leg, police said. In the news release, police said he is suspected of having instigated a confrontation “with a man who had a known protective dog.” 

Police arrested the man on suspicion of first-degree animal abuse and also on an unrelated warrant. Lookout Eugene-Springfield is not naming the man because no criminal charges had been filed against him in Lane County Circuit Court as of Monday.