Georgia man in police custody in connection to video showing animal abuse

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A man who police identified in an animal cruelty video investigation was placed into custody and booked into DeKalb County jail on Saturday, DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office records show.

Police officials confirmed to Atlanta News First that they believe Mekhi Jackson is the man seen who punched and slammed a dog into a concrete wall.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Authorities in DeKalb County have identified the man at the center of an animal cruelty video and found the dog dead.

DeKalb County police (DKPD) continue to look for Mekhi Jackson. They believe he is the man seen who punched and slammed a dog into a concrete wall. It happened Sunday at the Highlands in East Atlanta and was caught on camera. Detectives found the dog dead, near the scene of the incident, on Friday. The cause of death is unknown at this time.

Police officials confirmed to Atlanta News First that they believe Mekhi Jackson is the man seen who punched and slammed a dog into a concrete wall.

“The process of animal cruelty investigation varies on a case-by-case basis,” a DKPD spokesperson wrote in an email to Atlanta News First. “However, the DKPD and the DeKalb County Animal Enforcement Services work very closely together regardless of who is the lead agency. The DeKalb County Police Department has now taken over this investigation.”

Police are asking for the public’s help in locating Jackson. Police say if you see him, do not engage with him but call 911 or DKPD Det. Watson at 404-286-7990.

ORIGINAL STORY:

A disturbing animal cruelty case out of DeKalb County has animal lovers angry and demanding action.

Sonja is a rescue dog owner who lives in East Atlanta. On Monday, she saw a video on the Nextdoor app, of a man violently abusing a dog, and knew she had to do something.

“I was just appalled,” Sonja said. “I’ll never get it out of my mind.”

The video shows a man chasing a dog down a flight of stairs. The dog cowers as the man punches it. He then grabs the animal by the neck and slams it against a concrete wall.

“It just breaks my heart this happens,” Sonja said holding back tears.

She was able to figure out the location of the incident by looking at the details in the video. Those clues led her to the Highlands at East Atlanta apartments on Flat Shoals Road.

“We knew what the stairwell looked like so that’s what we were kind of going based on that,” she explained.

Sonja said she filed a report with DeKalb County Animal Services on Tuesday. A picture shared with Atlanta News First shows one of the department’s trucks on site hours later. But Sonja said all she’s heard from Animal Services is that the incident is under investigation. No word on if they found the dog or the well-being of the animal.

“I’m just frustrated with these agencies, organizations that should be helping this animal,” Sonja said.

Atlanta News First reached out to DeKalb County Animal Services on Thursday. No one from the department responded to our inquiries. However, DeKalb County police (DKPD) confirmed they are assisting in the investigation to find the man in the video.

“I’m just worried,” Sonja said. “I’ll always be wondering if they don’t find the man and the dog, what happened to this dog. That’s the hardest part. The unknown, you know.”

Management at the complex told Atlanta News First dogs aren’t allowed on the property unless it’s a service animal. A leasing agent said, to date, only one resident has filed to have a service animal – and the animal is not the one seen in the video.

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