Mechanic used sledgehammer to keep dog from tearing off woman’s arm, FL cops say

UPDATE: The dog involved in the attack has been euthanized, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office reported in an Oct. 9 update. “There is no known prior history of aggressive animal behavior toward people reported at this location or by this dog,” officials said.

The original story is below.

A good Samaritan with a sledgehammer is credited with stopping a “vicious” dog from completely chewing off a woman’s arm, according to investigators in Florida.

The attack happened after dark Wednesday, Oct. 1, in a Palatka residential neighborhood, and the victim’s injuries are “severe,” the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Her identity has not been released.

“She was walking down the road ... when the dog appeared and attacked her. A man working on a vehicle near by heard her screams, grabbed a sledgehammer and hit the dog to make it let go of the victim,” the sheriff’s office said.

“The man used a T-shirt and tried making a tourniquet to slow the bleeding from the victim’s arm. He then put the victim in his car and drove her to the hospital.”

The woman suffered “multiple puncture wounds” to her right leg and one arm was “almost severed” at the elbow, the sheriff’s office said.

“The victim is still recovering in the hospital and is in stable condition,” the sheriff’s office reported in an Oct. 9 case update.

A search was launched and Putnam County Animal Control officers captured a mixed-breed dog that had an incriminating head injury, officials said. It is believed that injury was caused when it was struck by the sledgehammer.

“We are still waiting on positive confirmation as to the dog in Animal Control’s possession,” the sheriff’s office said in an update.

“However, out of an abundance of caution residents in the area will see increased patrols in the area this afternoon, especially during release of school for James A. Long Elementary.”

Palatka is about a 65-mile drive south from Jacksonville.

This story was originally published October 3, 2025 at 7:27 AM with the headline "Mechanic used sledgehammer to keep dog from tearing off woman’s arm, FL cops say."