A Los Angeles man faces more than seven years in prison for allegedly breaking into his former roommate’s apartment, violently beating his dog and throwing it off a balcony where it was found dead in a construction site.
Anmol Bhatia, 27, was charged Wednesday with felony counts of animal cruelty, first-degree burglary and vandalism for the Sept. 4 break-in.
According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Bhatia broke into his former roommate’s apartment in West Hollywood late at night and was captured on video “violently slamming the victim’s dog to the ground and stomping on it, then throwing the nonresponsive dog off the balcony.” The dog’s lifeless body was found later at a nearby construction site, officials said.
Bhatia also caused hundreds of dollars of damage to property belonging to the victim, who is described as a man who is 65 years or older.
Bhatia fled the scene and remained out of police custody until he was located and apprehended this past weekend.
He is currently being held on $175,000 bail and pleaded not guilty to the charges. His next court date is set for Oct. 9. He faces a maximum sentence of seven years and eight months in state prison if convicted as charged.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman called the level of violence seen in this case “deeply disturbing.”
“Our office does not tolerate animal abuse, and we are fully committed to pursuing justice on behalf of these voiceless victims,” Hochman said in a news release. “Just as we aggressively prosecute residential burglary, we will prosecute animal cruelty.”
He added that his office has filed more than 100 animal cruelty cases this year.
This case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Anyone with information can provide anonymous tips online, or call 800-222-8477.