A 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty after police investigated a social media post showing the possible killing of a dog, officials said.
Authorities received a call around 7:45 p.m. Saturday regarding an online video posted on social media depicting the possible killing of a dog, the Riverside Police Department said in a news release Sunday.
The video allegedly showed a small dog suffering from a large laceration to its neck and gasping for air “as a young man stood over it making comments about what he just committed,” police said in the release.
Based on information from the social media profile of the person who posted the video, officers went to an apartment complex in the 3500 block of Lou Ella Lane to search for a suspect, the department said.
When they arrived, police found Angel Ramos, who matched the description of the suspect from the video and had fresh blood stains on his clothing, officials said. Ramos was also found to be in possession of metal knuckles, which are illegal in California, the department said.
While searching the apartment, officers discovered a 4- to 6-month old Chihuahua in Ramos’ bedroom suffering from a severe neck injury and was “barely alive,” police said.
The Riverside County Department of Animal Services transported the injured animal to an emergency pet clinic.
“Unfortunately, veterinarians determined the dog would not survive and had to be euthanized,” the Police Department said in the release.
Ramos was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center on suspicion of cruelty to an animal and illegal possession of metal knuckles, officials said.
But due to the statewide emergency bail schedule for non-violent offenses, police said Ramos was issued a “Notice to Appear” citation and was released from custody a few hours later.
