MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A man who once claimed to have found a cat who was shot in the head with an arrow has now been accused of being the very person that shot the animal.
According to Miami Beach Police, 36-year-old Georgios Lollias was arrested in an investigation that began on April 26, when a cat named Strushie was found near the Franklin Hotel with two arrows in its head. Lollias was an employee of the hotel.
Security footage shows the cat being chased before he was shot through the head. The wounded cat is then seen stumbling to the ground.
He actually spoke to 7News back in April and initially claimed to have found the cat.
“I hear ‘meow, meow’ over here, right here, and that’s what happened,” Lollias said to 7News, pointing under a dumpster where he claimed to have found the wounded animal.
Lollias was arrested at the hotel, Tuesday, and charged with animal cruelty and tampering with physical evidence.
The community demanded justice for the animal and police worked to pull surveillance video from hotel cameras.
Police said surveillance video from the incident was erased. However, the video was able to be recovered and police said it showed Lollias committing the crime.
- Related: Cat found with arrow in head in Miami Beach
- Related: Man confesses to shooting cat in head with crossbow
Police also said he confessed to committing the crime.
Strushie was a popular alley cat cared for by the locals.
During the 7News interview, Lollias said, “It’s not good, ’cause it’s something called karma. It’s coming back.”
Strushie was later euthanized.
“It was a very, very evil act – shooting this cat in the head with an arrow,” said animal rescuer Simone Anderson. “In April, I was there. I saw it, I heard the cat screaming, I saw the face and he needs to be in jail. We don’t want people like him on the streets.”
Lollias is being held on $30,000 bond and must also surrender his passport.
The judge also made one final request. “Stay away from all the stray cats, and cat. Stay away from all domestic animals,” she said.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.