Hialeah Man Accused Of Spinning Dog Around By Neck Until It Died

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A Hialeah man was arrested after he reportedly strangled a dog to death and then tied the dead body to a street sign.

According to police, on Wednesday, September 22nd, they received a call about an aggressive man and a dog that may have been injured.

When an officer arrived at the location, they found 36-year-old Kenny Amaro in middle of W 10th Street "acting irrationally."

The owners of the dog said they found its body "lassoed to a traffic street sign."

When police interviewed Amaro, he told them when he encountered the dog in front of its owners' residence it acted aggressively toward him, according to the arrest report, and then walked away from him to the front porch.

Amaro told the officers he then lured and grabbed the dog "for the safety of the community." He said that's when the dog bit him repeatedly, according to the report.

He reportedly told the officers he then put his belt around the dog and swung him in circles several times while the dog was suspended by its neck.

However, police said area surveillance camera video contradicted those claims.

In reviewing the video, police said Amaro spotted the dog on the front porch and then bent down to lure it to him. They said the dog walked up to him in a non-aggressive manner and then walked past him. The dog then walked back to him and then returned to the front porch.

Police said once again Amaro tried to lure the dog to him. When the dog went to him, the video showed Amaro looping his belt around the dog's neck and pulling on it as he stood up. He then spun the dog around by its neck several times, according to the report. He then reportedly pinned the dog to the ground and continued to strangle it before spinning it around again.

Amaro continued to hold the belt "as the dog lies motionless in the roadway," according to the report.

Police said, according to the video, at no point did the dog ever act aggressively toward Amaro nor did he back away from it as if in fear for his safety.

He's been charged with animal cruelty with the intent to do harm or kill.