Dad used machete to slash two girls, cops say

Mom hears screams coming from downstairs and rushes to aid children

LAUDERHILL — He showed up to take care of the kids while their mother readied to catch a flight to Jamaica. But the visit turned violent just a few hours later: The dad grabbed a machete that was over a foot long and started slashing his 10-year-old daughter and 17-year-old stepdaughter, police say.

The girls’ 7-year-old sister witnessed the attack.

Police say they don’t yet know what set Dennis Anthony Reid off. A neighbor in Lauderhill heard screaming and called 911 on Friday morning. “We received a frantic call stating that there was an individual chopping up females,” said Lt. Michael Santiago, a Lauderhill police spokesman.

The machete resembled the kind used to chop sugar cane or crack open coconuts, Santiago said. Reid slashed the 10-year-old on her neck, police said. The 17-year-old was more seriously injured, suffering cuts to her head, hand and wrist.

“It’s devastating,” Santiago said. “These were some severe injuries.”

The attack in the home happened while the children’s mom was upstairs. She heard her daughters’ screams coming from downstairs and rushed to their aid. When she confronted Reid, he threatened her. Then he ran off, tossing the machete in the lawn next to the sidewalk, Santiago said.

Reid, 47, later turned

“We received a frantic call stating that there was an individual chopping up females.” Lt. Michael Santiago, Lauderhill police spokesman

himself in at the Broward County Jail.

Both girls, who underwent surgery, are in stable condition and recovering at Broward Health Medical Center, Santiago said. Detectives are interviewing the 7-year-old about what she saw, but they might not figure out exactly what sparked the attack until the older girls are coherent enough to give statements, he said.

Police don’t yet know the specifics of Reid’s relationship to the mother, but Santiago said they have a history of domestic disputes and weren’t on great terms recently.

Still, Reid was involved in the girls’ lives and planned to care for them while their mom was in Jamaica. He doesn’t live with them, but showed up at the two-story house between 6 and 7 a.m. Friday, police said.

Police don’t yet know whether Reid brought the machete to the house or found it there. The home is situated in the 1100 block of Northwest 44th Terrace, north of Sunrise Boulevard and east of Florida’s Turnpike.

The mom was not injured. “She doesn’t know what prompted the situation to get to that point,” Santiago said.

Police have enough information to charge Reid, Santiago said.

Late Friday night, Reid hadn’t yet been booked into jail, and some of his paperwork will depend on whether he requests a lawyer when he gives his statement to police. He’ll likely face multiple charges, including attempted murder.

Reid has faced traffic infractions in Broward County on charges of running a red-light camera in 2012 and making an improper U-turn in 2015.

Macie Anderson, 72, has lived in the neighborhood most of her life.

She walked over to the crime scene, which was surrounded by yellow police tape. She was shocked by what she saw.

“I don’t like to see these things happen,” she said. “God help us.”

MIKE STOCKER/SUN SENTINEL A woman reacts to the news that two girls were slashed with a machete Friday on Northwest 44th Terrace in Lauderhill.

WAYNE K. ROUSTAN/SUN SENTINEL The mother of the two girls who were slashed was in a different room during the attack, police said. With her is her youngest daughter, who was unharmed.