Drunk man kicked out of Hilton Head shopping center after slapping dog

An intoxicated man was kicked out of the Village Exchange Shopping Center on Hilton Head Island on Thursday afternoon after allegedly slapping a dog.

The man “was loud and belligerent,” and was spotted by a merchant throwing what appeared to be a liquor bottle at a fence, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office report released Saturday.

Merchants asked the man to leave the shopping center on Palmetto Bay Road. He “refused to at first, then slapped (a merchant’s) dog,” the report said.

Deputies arrived and found the man “to be highly intoxicated and unable to answer any questions,” according to the report.

He complained of hip pain due to a recent surgery, and was issued a trespassing notice before being taken to the Hilton Head Hospital to be examined, the report said.

This story was originally published May 6, 2017 at 2:52 PM with the headline "Drunk man kicked out of Hilton Head shopping center after slapping dog."