Santa Monica police investigating disturbing footage of man apparently abusing small dog

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (KABC) -- Santa Monica police are looking into a surveillance video that shows a man apparently abusing a small dog, grabbing the animal roughly by the neck and ears and hitting it on the head.

Police say they have seen the video and are investigating it as a possible incident of animal abuse.

The department says it forwarded the case to the District Attorney's Office to consider animal cruelty charges.

WARNING: The video may be disturbing to some for depicting an act of potential animal abuse.

WARNING: DISTURBING FOOTAGE. Santa Monica police are looking into a surveillance video that shows a man abusing a small dog, grabbing the animal roughly by the neck and ears and hitting it on the head.

The video depicts a man who is apparently angry with his pet.

He grabs the small, white dog by its ear using one hand, picks it up roughly and lifts it through a door into the building's garage. He returns to the entranceway, holds the dog by the neck and hits it with one hand.

A bill making animal cruelty a federal offense has passed the Senate and is now on its way to President Donald Trump.

The video's timestamp indicates the incident happened the afternoon of Aug. 22.

The SMPD said members of the public reached out on Sept. 4 to ask them to investigate the incident.

Civilian animal services officers went to the building in the 1700 block of Ocean Avenue but were unable to locate the man or the dog. They later were able to reach him by telephone and verified that he still has the dog. They forwarded their information to the police department, which asked the DA's Office to consider charges.

The department asks anyone with additional information to call (310)458-8451 or email crimetips@smgov.net.

An investigation has been launched after an apparent case of animal abuse was caught on video at a Los Angeles dog boutique.