LAWRENCE, Ind. -- Lawrence police arrested a man for murder following a deadly stabbing over the weekend.
Police believe the suspect was mad because his dog had been stabbed by the victim just minutes earlier.
On Saturday afternoon, Lawrence police were called to the corner of 46th and Shadeland and found Lonnie Naylor bleeding in the grass. The 51-year-old died in the hospital after being stabbed in the heart.
Police quickly arrested 40-year-old Andrew Brown for murder after witnesses explained the reason for the violence.
"It all stemmed around a dog being stabbed and the suspect went and stabbed the person who stabbed his dog," said Lawrence Deputy Chief Travis Cline.
According to the initial arresting affidavit, Brown’s dog became aggressive and bit a teenage boy, so Naylor stabbed the dog.
That allegedly enraged Brown, who was asked to calm down and leave the apartment shared by his girlfriend and Naylor's girlfriend.
A short time later, Naylor walked to a nearby gas station. That's when surveillance cameras allegedly show Brown ambush and stab Naylor, who fell to the ground and then tried to run away as the suspect gave chase and continued to slash at the victim.
"It's not worth it. You take someone's life, but in essence you're taking your life away as well. Walk away and let calmer heads prevail," said Cline.
The deadly stabbing took place just 10 days after a different victim was shot to death in the exact same parking lot behind the Shadeland Terrace Townhomes.
Lawrence police said both homicides could've been avoided if people solved their conflicts peacefully.
"We just need to be better people and de-escalate things," said Cline. "It makes us have a safer community if we start de-escalating things instead of immediately rushing to violence."
For his part, court records claim Brown admitted to police he was mad at the victim for stabbing his dog, but denied stabbing Naylor in retaliation.
The suspect is being held without bond at the Marion County jail pending the filing of formal charges.