CLUTE, Texas – Police are investigating a case of animal cruelty after a man was seen stepping on a dog and punching on the dog at an apartment complex.
Cristian Lara caught the incident on video and shared it to social media in hopes someone would recognize the person.
“He was hitting it, slapping it, punching it, kicking it. At one point I didn’t catch on camera, he had picked the dog over his shoulder and body-slammed it and started kicking it,” said Lara.
The 19-year-old was sitting in his parked car when he looked at the rearview mirror and saw someone beating a dog at the Costa Verde Apartments in Clute.
“I got out of the car and told the guy, asked the guy, ‘What are you doing?’ He replied with, ‘Nothing,’ just looked at me, picked up the dog and ran off,” Lara said.
The video caught the attention of the Clute Police Department, so authorities opened an investigation
The CPD shared an update Wednesday morning saying the dog had been located and is in good health.
According to the police department, the animal is no longer in possession of the person seen in the video. The investigation is still ongoing.
Lara, who used to work at a shelter and adopted his own dog earlier this year, said he felt bad for the animal in the video and filed a police report when police reached out to him.
“I hope that he (the man in the video) gets what he deserves, prison,” Lara said.