Animal abuser screams 'Do you know who I am?' while cops try to stop him drowning dog on Miami Beach
Yerko Mendoza-Patino, 37, was arrested on February 28 after dragging a dog into the surf at South Pointe Beach, police said.
The newly released video, obtained by NBC6, shows lifeguards racing to the scene around 7:15 pm as a man identified by the authorities as Mendoza-Patino stood waist-deep in the water.
The individual was seen gripping his dog by the collar and dunking its head underwater 'several times' while wading deeper into the ocean - all as furious onlookers screamed at him to stop.
'Stop f***ing touching me!' the suspect yelled at lifeguards as they tried to separate him from the animal. 'Do you know who the f*** I am?!'
Miami Beach Ocean Rescue struggled to free the dog as the individual resisted, at one point kicking water at those trying to help.
Once officers arrived, the situation escalated as the suspect flailed and shouted profanities as police forced him face-down into the sand and slapped on handcuffs.
Bodycam footage showed officers carrying him off the beach by his hands and feet as the crowd erupted in applause.
Several witnesses told police they had seen Mendoza-Patino kick the dog in the head while dragging it into the surf.
According to arrest documents, he initially gave police a false name and date of birth.
Officers also noted he 'actively resisted by tensing his body, pulling his arms away, and refusing verbal commands'.
The visibly shaken dog was gently led away by police officers, who comforted the pup before placing it in the back of a patrol cruiser.
Authorities said the dog was taken into protective custody and is now safe.
Mendoza-Patino was charged with animal cruelty, resisting an officer without violence, disorderly conduct, and providing false identification to law enforcement, WFOR reported.
If convicted, Mendoza-Patino faces up to seven years in jail and $12,000 in fines, with the most serious charge, animal cruelty, carrying a maximum sentence of five years behind bars.
The footage emerged a month after a Florida pediatrician has avoided jail for abandoning her dog in a dumpster, forced to eat it's own feces to avoid starvation.
Anita Damodaran, 38, pled guilty Thursday, June 12 and was sentenced to just two years of probation. After which, her crimes may be expunged from her record.
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