Man killed Yorkshire terrier after dog vomited in his car, police say
04/20/2017 2:44 pm PDT
By Paradise Afshar, Amanda Batchelor, Erica Rakow, and Carlos Suarez, WKMG
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- (WKMG) -- Miami Beach police have arrested a man in the death of a Yorkshire terrier that was found with several broken ribs in a parking garage.
Sigman Hernandez, 40, surrendered to Miami Beach police Wednesday. He faces a charge of animal cruelty.
Hernandez bonded out of jail Thursday morning.
"Did you do anything to that dog?" Local 10 News reporter Erica Rakow asked.
"No," Hernandez said.
Police said Hernandez confessed, after being read his rights, that he slapped and possibly choked the dog because she vomited in his car.
Hernandez told police that he pushed the dog with his feet after placing her in the garage, according to a police report. He then abandoned the dog.
A Publix employee found the dog April 7 at about 11 p.m. in a parking garage next to the supermarket.
Photos of the 6-pound dog show her lying motionless on the ground next to a concrete support column and trash can between parking spaces.
The dog, who police named Lily, did not have a tag or microchip.
The employee tracked down Detective Gus Sanchez, who was working security at the Publix. With the help of Officer Pablo Gonzalez, the two were able to determine that the dog was still breathing and occasionally crying in pain.
Officer Marina Garcia helped get Lily to an animal trauma center.
"She was not moving," Garcia told Local 10 News. "She was yelping occasionally, and you could really see something was wrong."
Veterinarians said the dog had seven broken ribs and signs of strangulation. There was no evidence that she could have been hit by a car.
"The canine's midsection also appeared swollen and distorted," according to a police report. "Her eyes were also bloodshot red and she would occasionally moan in pain."
Lily appeared to be dying, police said, and she was in "very bad shape."
FULL STORY: Florida man killed Yorkshire terrier after dog vomited in his car, police say - WKMG