DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit Police have arrested a man who admitted to a friend that he beat a puppy unconscious because the puppy destroyed a pair of Cartier sunglasses he left laying around the house.
Video of the man assaulting the puppy went viral Monday when the owner of the puppy posted it on social media.
The assault on the young dog took place a few weeks ago and she said her friend claimed to be sorry.
"He said that the dog tore up some Cartier glasses that I had paid for. I told him, I brought those ones, I can go and buy some more, but he didn't want to hear it," she told 7 Action News.
She said the puppy appeared to be okay, physically, and she wanted to believe her friend was sorry but then a couple weeks later, after she told the man he had to move out, she said she found he'd placed the puppy and her kennel in a city residential trash bin.
Then Monday, she posted the video to social media so people could see what he had done.
The video spread fast on social media and Detroit Police were alerted to it.
"We identified the individual. We had an apprehension team out of organized crime locate the individual and take him into custody early this morning," said Detroit Police Captain Matthew Fulgenzi of the Crime Intelligence Unit.
Capt. Fulgenzi said the video is tough to watch.
"He took his anger out on this puppy in the video," he added. "The actions are unacceptable. We will not tolerate that in our community."
Fulgenzi also thanked the community for getting the information out there and sharing the video so there could be a quick response.
"The dog is currently alive. I'm not going to go into further details about the condition of the dog, but those matters are being handled by the Humane Society," he said.
Michigan Humane released the following statement Tuesday after the suspect's arrest by Detroit Police, indicating that they were made aware of the "possible beating and abuse of a puppy" last week Thursday.
On March 16, 2023, the Michigan Humane Cruelty Investigators received a tip regarding the possible beating and abuse of a puppy on Detroit’s west side that allegedly occurred on March 1, 2023. Our investigators responded to the complaint and performed a wellness check on the puppy, who was left in the care of her owner, and is not currently, nor has ever been, in the care of Michigan Humane. A warrant was issued for the arrest of the accused, who is currently in custody. We’re working in conjunction with the Detroit Police Department on charges relating to the animal cruelty complaint.
As this is an ongoing investigation, we will not be providing further comment at this time.
Michigan Humane said an arrest warrant was issued but a spokesperson for the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office said they have not yet even received a request for a warrant in the case.
A spokesperson for Michigan Humane said they would work to get 7 Action News additional information to understand why the suspect wasn't already in custody if an arrest warrant had been issued as they indicate in their statement.
Currently, the woman who owned the puppy said that she and another puppy are both now living with relatives and doing well.
The woman said, "She's fine. She's very active. She's very sweet. She's like a baby."
The suspect remains in custody.
