SPRING HILL, Fla. — What started as an incident in a Spring Hill park ended with a Hernando County K-9 getting sent to an emergency veterinarian.
The Hernando County Sheriff's Office says it started just before 6:15 p.m. Sunday when a woman charging her phone at a pavilion in Delta Woods Park left to meet her boyfriend at a nearby gas station.
Quickly realizing she left her phone behind, the woman returned to the pavilion and was approached by two men who told her the phone had been stolen, according to deputies.
When the woman began questioning the men about who took her phone, investigators say they reportedly told her she had five minutes to leave. As an argument ensued, deputies say the woman's boyfriend arrived armed with a knife and a set of brass knuckles.
The sheriff's office says one of the men, later identified as 19-year-old Jarid Ramirez, pointed a handgun at the couple, prompting them to call 911.
According to law enforcement, Ramirez and his friend left the area but were located shortly after by detectives who say Ramirez had the woman's phone. According to the sheriff's office report, Ramirez refused to cooperate with the investigation.
During a search of the area, deputies say K-9 Argo found a gun in the bushes and accidentally bit down on it, causing it to discharge while in his mouth. He was transported to an emergency veterinarian for a tooth injury and is expected to make a full recovery.
Ramirez was arrested on two counts of aggravated assault and one count of
petit theft. He was transported to the Hernando County Detention Center where he's being held on an $11,000 bond.
Additional charges are also pending for the woman's boyfriend as deputies say he is a convicted felon who was in possession of a knife and brass knuckles.
The investigation is still underway.
