A man in California was arrested Monday after he allegedly slit a dog’s throat and recorded a video on social media of the dog as it was dying, according to the Justice Department.
Angel Ramos-Corrales, 19, was charged with animal crushing, which is a federal crime. Animal crushing is when someone causes some types of animals serious bodily injury not related to hunting or lawful activity, the Justice Department’s statement said.
FEDERAL CHARGES: A 19-year-old Riverside man was arrested by the FBI this morning for allegedly slitting his dog’s throat, then posting video of the killing to Snapchat. https://t.co/LZZqb0w0L8 pic.twitter.com/KWOGDbmKd3
— CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) April 26, 2021
Ramos-Corrales allegedly posted a video on Snapchat earlier in 2021 of a small brown dog, who he named Canelo, with a large laceration on its neck. In the video, someone who is believed to be Ramos-Corrales is heard saying “I’m cold-hearted” and other statements. The individual is then seen kicking the dog, which is still alive, the statement said.
Soon after Ramos-Corrales posted the video in February, the Riverside Police Department received a complaint.
Upon arriving at the suspect’s home, police found Ramos-Corrales with fresh blood stains on his clothes, an affidavit said, according to the Justice Department. Ramos-Corrales also allegedly had wounds on his hand.
Police allegedly found blood spatter in multiple rooms, and saw the injured dog on the bed. The suspect’s roommate allegedly told police that he locked himself in his bedroom after seeing the grisly scene and hearing Ramos-Corrales yelling.
Ramos-Corrales allegedly told federal agents that he purchased the dog several months earlier, and didn’t remember exactly what he had done to the dog.
Animal control officers ultimately euthanized the dog, who suffered significant injuries. If convicted, Ramos-Corrales could face up to seven years in federal prison.
In 2019, President Donald Trump signed the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act into law, which is a federal ban on animal cruelty. Previous law only prohibited knowingly creating or distributing animal crushing videos. (RELATED: Trump Signs Bill That Makes Extreme Animal Cruelty A Felony)
Animal crushing is when “one or more living non-human mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians is purposely crushed, burned, drowned, suffocated, impaled, or otherwise subjected to serious bodily injury,” according to the World Animal Rescue Fund.
The act outlawed purposeful crushing, and also made it easier to prosecute cases that span different jurisdictions, advocates said, according to The Washington Post.