South Bay man beats neighbor with baseball bat, flees scene

MORGAN HILL, Calif. (KGO) -- A dispute over a dog may have led a South Bay man to attack his neighbor with a baseball bat. There's a manhunt on for 47-year-old Mark Weber. Police say he is armed and dangerous.

The suspect and victim live next door to each other on a cul-de-sac in Morgan Hill. A neighbor called police last Friday afternoon saying the men were fighting.

"It appears it was an argument over a dog," said Sgt. Carson Thomas of Morgan Hill police. "Over the victim's dog."

When officers arrived neither man would answer the door or phone so they left. About two hours later police got another call.

"The neighbor, suspect Mark Weber had told a family member that he had bludgeoned his neighbor to death with a bat and was now going to proceed to hurt himself," Thomas told ABC7 News.

Police rushed back to the scene and evacuated Oak Grove Court. Patty McGill Zappe lives a few doors down. "They had the tank thing come with the guy with the gun at the top, all the swat gear, tons of cops," he said.

Officers looked through a window at the victim's house and saw a large amount of blood. They went in and found the victim. They say he had major injuries to his head, body, arms and legs. Hew as taken to a local hospital.

The suspect, Mark Weber, was nowhere to be found.

"We do consider him dangerous based on what happened between him and his neighbor," said Thomas.

Zappe says she's not afraid of Webber. "I really don't think he's armed and dangerous," she said. "I think he's scared. He's not a bad man."

Investigators believe Weber is still in the area.