Man accused of punching dog at Anaheim apartment complex turns himself in, police say

ANAHEIM, Calif. (KABC) -- The 33-year-old man who is suspected to be seen on video kicking and punching a dog at an Anaheim apartment complex turned himself in, police announced.

Albert Frank Abad Jr. reported to the Anaheim Police Department early Thursday morning.

Police say he's the man seen on a viral video on social media abusing what appears to be an all-black Goldendoodle. The dog's name is Steeler and his owner is the suspect.

The suspect surrendered Steeler before he turned himself in.

"He definitely soaked up some love from a lot of our employees here in the building," Anaheim police Sgt. Shane Carringer said when talking about Steeler. "He was a youthful, somewhat energetic dog, but he wasn't necessarily bounding with energy."

The incident happened at Gateway Apartments last week. The video shows the man chasing the dog down a hallway, then punching and kicking the animal and dragging it away before disappearing from sight.

Staff at a veterinary clinic in Los Angeles notified Anaheim police Wednesday night after a man surrendered his dog, Carringer said. Carringer added that staff recognized the suspect and the dog from the police department's social media posts and media coverage. Officers then went to go pick Steeler up.

Steeler is now in the care of veterinarians at Orange County Animal Care.

Although many have volunteered to foster and adopt Steeler, police say he has to stay in the care of the county through the duration of the criminal case.

The suspect was released from custody after he posted $15,000 in bail.