Man arrested after video shows driver tossing small black puppy locked in cage into Tujunga Wash

Daniel Arias, 25, of Tujunga was arrested and was booked on suspicion of animal cruelty, police said.

Amy Powell Image
Friday, April 21, 2023
Man arrested after video shows driver tossing puppy into Tujunga Wash
A man was arrested after disturbing video showed someone tossing a puppy locked in a cage over a fence and into the Tujunga Wash.

DUARTE, Calif. (KABC) -- A man was arrested after disturbing video showed someone tossing a puppy locked in a cage over a fence and into the Tujunga Wash.



Daniel Arias, 25, of Tujunga was arrested Tuesday and was booked on suspicion of animal cruelty, police said. He's being held in lieu of $20,000 bail.



The shocking incident was captured on surveillance video, which surfaced on March 27. It shows the driver of a Chevy Tahoe pulling up near the wash and pulling a crate containing the small black dog from the back.



Moments later, the driver throws the cage over a fence into the wash.



"We were in our yard and we heard a lot of commotion, screaming, you know, dog kind of screaming," said resident Jim Tavare.



Tavare said when he walked over to the wash, he saw the cage in a corner of the storm channel but the puppy wasn't inside.



A short time later, he saw a message about the incident on a social media app. That's when several people rushed to the wash and started searching the area before a neighbor finally rescued the dog.



"They found the dog fairly rapidly, in about half an hour, I think," said Tavare. "They came down the hill with it and it had been hiding in the drain. I couldn't believe someone would do that."



The puppy has since been placed in the care of Los Angeles Animal Services.



In a tweet, LAPD expressed gratitude for the outpouring of love from the community, saying, "The puppy will soon be available for adoption to a loving home."





Anyone with additional information was asked to contact the LAPD Foothill Division at 818-834-3115. Callers who choose to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.



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