MIAMI (WSVN) - A man has been arrested after surveillance video footage showed him abusing his friend’s dog in an elevator in Miami’s Brickell neighborhood.
Neighbors identified the man in the video as 21-year-old Karim Ellaisy. The video was captured at Brickell Heights, at 55 SW Ninth St., at around 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 30.
Ellaisy was arrested during the last week of January, but neighbors said that was not enough.
“Oh, my God,” said Eliana Parenti when she saw the video. “Oh, don’t let me ever, ever run into this person.”
Video footage showed when, police said, the accused animal abuser crossed the line.
Shortly after the man could be seen getting into the elevator, the 6-month-old puppy, named Ajax, apparently had an accident. He then hurled the husky into the wall and then began striking the animal repeatedly.
Animal rights activist Kathy Bieniek called what she saw on the video nothing short of animal abuse.
“It’s atrocious. It’s not acceptable, in my opinion, and I will stick to that,” Bieniek said.
According to the arrest report, the puppy belonged to the 21-year-old’s roommate.
“It’s unacceptable, you know,” said Juliana Rodriguez, a neighbor. “It’s crazy.”
Residents at the apartment complex retrieved the video and sent it to 7News before it quickly made rounds on social media.
“It’s not easy to see,” said Nate Shelly. “That’s for sure.”
“One, it’s an animal involved,” said Kyriakos Tsoulfas. “There’s no two sides to the story. I saw the video. I saw what happened. It was just pure aggression.”
“First of all, they shouldn’t be around children,” said Parenti. “They shouldn’t be around older people, women, anyone who’s voiceless. Like, a poor little dog like this.”
Ellaisy faces charges of animal cruelty.
“I can understand why the public is outraged,” said Ellaisy’s attorney, Richard Cooper. “Look, I’m a dog owner myself. I’m an animal lover, and the video is hard to watch, for sure.”
After Ellaisy bonded out, Cooper spoke with 7News.
“It’s a regrettable situation,” he said. “I can tell you that my client has a clean criminal history, has never been arrested before in his life. He’s been skewered in the court of public opinion.”
Cooper could not get into specifics about what will happen next in the case, but he offered an update about the animal.
“Well, for my client’s safety and his privacy, I can’t really comment as to where he is, but I can tell you that the dog is safe. He is healthy,” said Cooper. “The day after the incident, he went to the vet and got a full clean bill of health. While I can’t comment on defenses pending criminal cases, I can tell you that while he’s being skewered in the court of public opinion, I believe that in court, he will be fully vindicated.”
Ellaisy’s court date is set for Feb. 28, and animal activist from Saving Sage Animal Rescue said they plan to show up with a message.
“To show the judge that we mean business that this cannot go on,” Bieniek said. “No more slaps on the wrist, no more pass go. We have laws on the books now. Let’s enforce them, let’s make an example, let’s stop this.”
The dog has since been returned to its owner, which is where the 21-year-old lives.
When asked why the animal was returned to the home where Ellaisy lives, a Miami-Dade County Animal Services spokesperson said in a statement, “The arrested man was not the dog’s owner, and the dog remains in the custody of its owner.”
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