DETROIT — Detroit Police in Michigan have made an arrest in the case of man who dragged a dog unconscious and beat the animal with a bike.
Officers say the suspect was found living in an abandoned house with seven other dogs and three dead ones.
The beaten dog survived the abuse thanks to some fast-acting neighbors.
Theresa Sumpter of the Detroit Pit Crew is now comforting the very scared dog, newly named Justice, after the unimaginable abuse.
“It makes me nauseous to actually think about what somebody would do to this dog," Sumpter said. "Makes me physically ill.”
Justice was being dragged by a man on a bicycle near Beard and Lafayette.
“Being dragged next to a bike, the dog had lost consciousness and the person that was dragging the dog on the bike had gotten off the bike and started beating the dog with the bike,” she said.
That’s when some folks in the Southwest Detroit neighborhood came to its rescue.
The man rode off and left Justice behind, then neighbors called 911 but say police didn’t stop by.
That's when the Detroit Pit Crew was called.
“Terrible for these animals who can’t dial 911 for themselves, they can’t cry out for help, they can’t say ‘hey somebody is beating me somebody is dragging me,'” Sumpter said.
The neighbors told Sumpter the man was dragging Justice for some distance. There are some spots of fur missing on his body because of the ordeal.
“He was connected by an extension cord, like an electrical extension cord,” she said.
Sumpter rushed Justice to Center Line Veterinary hospital. It turned out that Justice is around 7 to 8 years old and has arthritis in his spine.
“This is not a dog at this stage of his life that is meant to run next to a bicycle, so if the person got mad that the dog was not able to keep up with him, he’s an elderly dog,” she explained.
Justice also has tumors and a piece of metal that appears to be a bullet near his ribs. He will undergo surgery next week.
Sumpter promises justice for Justice.
When asked what message does she have to the person who did this, Sumpter said, “I can’t even say on-camera what my message to this person would be. I’m sure it would be edited out and not able to be aired.”
