WEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A man in Miami Beach waters caused a rising concern after he tried to drown a pit bull, leading officers to make an arrest, police said.
Cellphone video posted by Only in Dade shows the suspect, 37-year-old Yerko Mendoza-Patino holding the dog in waist-deep water along the 300 block of the beach, just before 3:30 p.m. on Friday.
As the canine tried to swim away, investigators said, Mendoza-Patino attempted to drown the animal.
Onlookers tried to step in and save the pit bull.
“Oh, now they’re gonna go fight him,” a witness is heard saying in the cellphone video.
No physical fights broke out, but it didn’t take long for multiple Miami Beach Police officers on all-terrain vehicles to arrive at this scary sight in the water.
“This is a mess,” a witness is heard saying in the cellphone video.
Once officers responded, the arrest report details, “The defendant dragged the dog’s head under water several times as he walked eastbound.”
Furthermore, the report states, “The dog appeared to be struggling and in distress.”
Once officers reached Mendoza-Patino, the arrest report states he “actively resisted officers by tensing his arms and refusing to release the dog. Officers took control of the defendant and assisted him to the ground, where he finally released the dog and officers carried it to safety.”
After the struggle, officers placed Mendoza-Patino in handcuffs and put him in the back of a cruiser.
“Poor thing,” a witness is heard saying in cellphone video of the pit bull.
Police took the dog to Miami Beach Police headquarters and called Miami-Dade Animal Control.
This is not Mendoza-Patino’s first run-in with the law. Miami Beach Police said they responded to reports of the suspect allegedly abusing the same dog on Thursday.
Mendoza-Patino is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in West Miami-Dade on a $5,501 bond. He faces a list of charges, including animal cruelty and disorderly conduct.
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