Syracuse man Thomas Hemmingway, 31, is arrested for stabbing a pit bull to death with a huge butcher knife — after LIING to police it was in self-defense

A New York man who stabbed a pit bull to death with a butcher knife has been arrested after previously lying to police about the animal that attacked him.

Thomas Hemmingway, 31, was arrested Monday and charged with animal cruelty after fatally stabbing the dog last month, according to Syracuse police.

Hemmingway previously told officers he stabbed the black and white female pit bull in self-defense, claiming the dog bit him on the right leg.

But the Animal Cruelty Division investigated the attack further — and discovered new surveillance footage that proved the dog had not attacked Hemmingway.

He also had no injuries to his leg where he claimed to have been bitten.

Syracuse police posted footage of Hemmingway carrying out the violent attack on the innocent animal to Facebook, sparking outrage among the community.

The Facebook post described Hemmingway walking down the sidewalk towards the dog and his owner, who has not been identified, who walked him on a leash.

At one point, the owner lets go of the leash and Hemmingway is seen approaching the dog with a large butcher knife in hand.

He is depicted wearing a black shirt, jeans and sneakers, carrying a backpack with the edged weapon in his hand.

A second image shows Hemmingway with the large butcher knife raised above his head and aimed at the pit bull.

Hemmingway is currently being held at the Onondaga County Justice Center.

The attack took place at around 8:25 p.m. on July 26, a police statement said on Monday.

Officers responded to the 900 block of South Geddes Street for a complaint about an injured animal. When they arrived, police found the black and white pit bull with a stab wound to his neck.

The officers then placed the dog in the back of the patrol car and transported it to the local vet, where it died of its injuries.

Other officers remained on scene to speak to witnesses and attempted to locate the dog’s owner.

That’s when a man approached police and identified himself as Thomas Hemmingway, claiming to stab the dog in self-defense.

“Hemmingway claimed the dog bit his right leg, so he stabbed the dog once and ran off,” police said.

But after the investigation, police found that the footage of the incident contradicted Hemmingway’s account of the event.

“Hemmingway pulled up his pant leg to show where the dog ‘bite’ him, but there were no injuries,” police said.

“Hemmingway had what appeared to be a large butcher knife in his right hand as he approached the dog,” the report said.

He tried to grab the dog by the neck or collar when the dog reacted. Hemmingway then stabbed the dog once in the neck.”

After releasing the dog, Hemmingway reportedly continued to taunt it by holding the knife over his head, before calmly walking away from the scene.

After being stabbed, the dog wandered into a corner shop until police arrived.

After it was determined by the Animal Cruelty Division that Hemmingway had not stabbed the dog in self-defense, police arrested him for Aggravated Animal Cruelty, an unclassified felony.

“I hope his cellmate is a dog lover who follows the local news,” one user commented online.

‘How despicable! Did the owner of the dog not respond? Or ask for help?’ another wrote.

‘Cruel person must be on the animal cruelty register. Animal cruelty goes hand in hand with domestic violence,’ says a third user.

This isn’t the first violent attack on a New York dog in a year.

In June, a couple’s dog was stabbed to death by a man with a knife during an argument when they were walking their pet in New York City’s Central Park.

Brian Robert Cornwell, 52, was walking their two dogs with his wife Melanie when a A heated argument ensued between the couple and the suspect, who also walked three dogs himself.

The suspect’s unleashed dogs attacked the couple’s pit bull. But the dog fight suddenly turned into a dispute between the owners.

As the pair attempted to separate the dogs, the suspect pulled out a stiletto and mercilessly began stabbing Eli, the pair’s female pit bull mix.

“You killed my dog, you piece of shit,” Cornwell told the suspect when video footage caught him leaving the area.