Hilton Head man bites off part of gas station worker’s ear, police say
A Hilton Head Island man was arrested for allegedly biting part of a man’s ear off during an attack at a gas station Monday night because the victim messaged his girlfriend on Facebook, according to a report from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
The attack occurred just before 10:30 p.m. at the Parker’s on William Hilton Parkway, the report said.
The suspect called the gas station in advance and spoke with the victim, telling him he was coming for him because he had been talking with his girlfriend on Facebook, the report said.
Later, the suspect came into the gas station and threw canned drinks and bottles at the victim before throwing him to the floor and “subsequently bit(ing) a large portion of (the victim’s) ear off,” the report said.
The two were separated and the suspect ran away, the report said.
One of the workers saw the victim was bleeding so she pressed the silent alarm behind the counter and called 911, according to the report.
The victim lost about a third of his ear because medical personnel were unable to reattach it, according to the report.
The suspect was charged with second degree assault and battery and booked into the Beaufort County Detention Center Tuesday just before 1 a.m. and still confined as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the jail log. The charge is a misdemeanor.
The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette do not name those charged with misdemeanor crimes unless they are in a position of public trust or authority in the community.
This story was originally published December 5, 2018 at 1:41 PM.
