This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Salt Lake City police say officers investigating a report of animal cruelty ended up arresting a combative fugitive wanted on multiple active warrants.
SLCPD Detective Veronica Montoya said the 30-year-old man was seen by a resident allegedly first throwing his small-breed dog onto the ground, shaking it and then lifting the animal by the neck with its leash in the 400 S. 400 East area, about 5:40 p.m. Tuesday.
Officers arrived, found the suspect and dog on the street, and approached them. Instead of answering their questions, however, the suspect "squared off" with a female officer and refused her commands to surrender.
She used pepper spray and then a Taser in an attempt to subdue the man, to no effect. A second officer's Taser deployment finally worked, and the suspect was taken into custody.
The dog, determined not to be seriously injured, was turned over to Salt Lake City Animal Control.
Officers found the suspect had seven active arrest warrants alleging criminal trespassing and drug violations.
He was being held Wednesday in the Salt Lake County jail in lieu of more than $6,000 bail on suspicion of class A misdemeanor animal cruelty, third-degree felony possession of another person's prescription drugs, and numerous criminal trespassing and drug possession misdemeanor counts.
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