Editor’s Note: The details in this story may be disturbing to some. Viewer’s discretion is advised.
TAMPA, Fla. ( WFLA ) — A Florida man is behind bars after several witnesses reported seeing him brutally abusing his dog at a gas station last week.
Video released by the Volusia Sheriff’s Office appears to show Jose Rivera, 31, of Deltona, beating the animal before a witness intervened and was able to get the dog away from him.
The video shows the dog running to nearby bystanders before it cuts to a man putting Rivera in a chokehold as multiple bystanders work to stop him from getting the dog out of a car before deputies arrived.
That man, Raymon Prush, told local news outlet WESH that what he witnessed was “ridiculous.”
“The dog just turned its head to smell the tire, and he yanked the dog and hit the dog in the face with the chain,” Prush said. He said things escalated and Rivera began whipping the dog with a chain several times until it broke.
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