A York City PA man faces animal cruelty charges after he punched his ten-week-old puppy in the ribs in front of a police officer, and dragged him for 30 yards.

York City Police Officer Tyler Benton was in his patrol cruiser when he witnessed 29-year-old Anthony Castro drag the tiny Pit Bull by his leash with the pup’s two front legs completely off the ground. He then punched the puppy extremely hard in the ribs.

Castro “grabbed the puppy by the neck with one hand and then with a closed fist, punched the puppy in the rib area,” Benton wrote in court documents. “I witnessed the puppy then shoot back between the defendant’s legs roughly a foot from how much power the defendant used to strike the puppy with.”

Officer Benton immediately filed an animal cruelty charge against Castro, who has not yet been arraigned.

It’s unknown if the puppy require medical care, but he remains in the possession of Castro, while the case is being reviewed.

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