After being arrested for kicking an iguana to death, a Florida man claimed a “stand your ground” defense, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.
Florida man claims ‘stand your ground’ defense after killing iguana https://t.co/iKOZGL2S2k
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Police accused PJ Nilaja Patterson, 43, of animal cruelty for killing an iguana on Sept. 2, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported. The 6-foot-3, 165-pound man said he worried about his life because the 3-foot green iguana resorted to violence first in Lake Worth Beach, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
“The vicious animal got the best of Patterson and savagely bit his right arm,” Patterson’s lawyers said, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. The man received 22 staples to close the wounds from the “wild beast,” according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
This is the first time anyone has used a stand-your-ground defense over an iguana. (RELATED: ‘He Was Hanging’: Police Charge PetSmart Employees With Animal Cruelty After Owner Alleged Her Dog Was Strangled To Death)
Authorities said that Patterson approached the iguana and “savagely beat, tormented, tortured, and killed it within a half-hour as shown on surveillance footage, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.
In an arrest report, Animal Care and Control Sgt. Adam Moulton said Patterson “chose to stalk the helpless iguana and deliver vicious strikes to the animal, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Prosecutor Alexandra Dorman said the footage shows that “at no time was the iguana posing any threat to Patterson, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.