TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A 17-year-old Volusia County boy was arrested and accused of animal cruelty after authorities said he picked up a dog by its neck and slammed it into the ground after it tried to run away.
According to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, the teen was caught on a security camera walking into a neighbor’s yard to retrieve his dog after it ran away.
Authorities said the video, timestamped the night of March 14, showed the teen pick up the dog by its neck and carry it back toward his house where he lifted it in the air and slammed it to the ground.
Deputies said the boy then “straddled the dog, punched it in the face and head again and again, then grabbed its head and slammed it into the ground multiple times.”
Audio captured by the camera reportedly captured the dog yelping during the abuse.
The boy’s grandmother told deputies she saw the incident and told her grandson to stop hurting the dog. Deputies said she also admitted to disciplining her grandson after the incident.
Deltona Animal Control took the dog to a local animal hospital for examination.
The teen was taken to a Family Resource Center for processing and later released to his grandmother’s custody.
