"Raise your hands and step away from the hedgehog."

The Herald on Sunday say police alleged that William Singalargh, 27, picked up the hedgehog and threw it at a 15-year-old boy in the North Island east coast town of Whakatane on February 9.

Police Senior Sgt. Bruce Jenkins said Monday,

"It hit the victim in the leg, causing a large, red welt and several puncture marks."

Police arrested Singalargh shortly after the incident, and charged him with assault with a weapon -- the hedgehog.

The Herald said the hedgehog was dead when it was collected as evidence, but did not know if it was dead or alive at the time of the alleged attack.

The Herald reported Singalargh's arrest under the headline "Raise your hands and step away from the hedgehog."


This is NOT Benson!