Screenshots of a man trapping a cat in a garbage bag and slamming it onto the floor (Butler County Sheriff’s Office)
Police in Ohio are searching for a man who they say chased a cat into an apartment building, captured it in a plastic garbage bag, and then slammed the bag into the ground, ultimately killing it.
Surveillance footage of the horrific attack that took place earlier this month was shared by the Butler County Sheriff’s Office as they continue to search for the man responsible.
According to Sheriff Richard Jones, the man chased the cat at about 9 p.m. on Jan. 24 into the Indian Springs Apartment Complex in the 300 block of Hampshire Drive in Hamilton, which is where he engaged in the heartless abuse of the small animal.
“What we have here today is a very, very disturbing video, and we need everybody’s help to see if we can identify this individual,” Jones said in a video posted to the sheriff’s Facebook page.
The man — wearing a dark green parka, black pants with distinctive writing on the left leg, and glasses — is seen carrying a thin white garbage bag as he corners the animal at the end of a hallway.
He then gets the bag atop the cat, quickly closes it, and flips it over to seal the animal inside. The cat can be heard screeching, and the man pulls the red straps to tighten the bag. He then gets up, holding the bag in his left hand, and pulls his arm back slightly before coming over the top and slamming the bag to the ground in an overhand manner. The bag makes a loud banging sound when it makes contact with the hard floor.
The man then took the bag behind the building and tossed it into a dumpster, the sheriff said.
Deputy Burkett with the Butler County Dog Warden, who also appeared in the video posted to Facebook, said that authorities found the cat “still alive but injured the following day.”
A “cruelty exam” showed that the animal had suffered a shattered pelvis as well as a fractured spine. The prognosis ultimately led to veterinary professionals deciding that the animal had to be humanely euthanized. A vet determined that being slammed to the floor is what caused the cat’s spinal injuries.
“We are looking for this individual that took this cat, put it in a bag, and slammed it,” the sheriff said while encouraging anyone who recognized the man to contact authorities. “This is ridiculous. We’re not that kind of people. So anybody who knows this individual, give us a call. We’re not going to let this rest.”
Watch the full video below.
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