Man With Knife Covered in Blood Found to be Skinning a Dead Deer

Several Los Angeles Police Department cruisers, a helicopter and Palisades Patrol responded to a report on Nov. 15 of an assault with a deadly weapon in the 1400 block of Palisades Drive, only to find a man butchering a deer that had been struck earlier by a car. The man was not charged.

"The call was generated by a resident who saw a man with a knife and covered in blood," said Scott Wagenseller, chief executive officer of Palisades Patrol. He said the first responding LAPD unit, after seeing the man, radioed "officer needs help," which brought five to seven cars to a condominium at approximately 12 p.m. that Thursday.

A helicopter was also dispatched and hovered low nearby. Police held the man at gunpoint, according to Wagenseller.

Palisades Patrol and LAPD took the man into custody. He told police he was "dressing out a deer" that was killed earlier in the morning along Palisades Drive.

Responding Palisades Patrol Officer Eric Fine identified the man from an earlier incident in which Los Angeles Animal Control responded to a report of an injured deer.

"This happens more often than you know," Wagenseller said about deer struck by vehicles.

Wagenseller said the man offered to take the carcass to a neighbor's garage to skin and drain it. During the process, the man walked out of the garage and a resident saw the knife and blood.

"No crime, but due to the graphic nature of the incident, it created quite a stir," Wagenseller added.

(A correction was made to the original post to correct the date, time and location of the incident. Patch apologizes for the error.)