Virginia Man Throws 2 Dogs To Death From Fifth-Floor Balcony, Charged With Animal Cruelty

A man in Arlington, Virginia, was arrested Monday (April 27) after he killed two dogs by throwing them from his apartment balcony.

Police responded to the apartment complex after receiving information that two dogs were tossed from the fifth-floor balcony. However, prior to the arrival of the officers, someone had rushed the canines to a local vet.

"Prior to police arrival, the dogs were located and transported to area animal hospitals, where they succumbed to their injuries and were pronounced deceased,” Arlington County Police Department crime report stated.

The accused, identified as 26-year-old Zachary Hanson, was taken into custody from his residence. He was charged with two counts of Cruelty to Animals and held in jail without bond.

Speaking to ARLNow, a police spokeswoman said, “One belonged to the suspect, the other belonged to someone known to the suspect. To best protect the identity of the victim, we will not release additional information related to their relationship.”

“What preceded the incident is under investigation,” she added.

The incident comes a few days after a man in Ontario County, New York, struck a dog and dragged the canine under his vehicle before brutally beating it. Daniel G. chased the dog before intentionally striking it with his car. The 54-year-old man then dragged the pit bull under his vehicle for almost six feet before getting out of the vehicle and beating it brutally with the vehicle’s front passenger headrest.

As he fled the scene, an onlooker obtained the vehicle’s license plate and alerted the police about the incident. The vehicle was located and the man was taken into custody from his residence. He was charged with aggravated cruelty to an animal and animal abandonment. Meanwhile, medical tests conducted on the pit bull stated that it had severe trauma from this incident.

In another incident last week, a dog was found lying on a porch in Maryland, covered in blood. Animal control responded to call and found the canine lying on a porch with blood “originating from the dog’s face.” The dog was rushed to the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter where medical tests confirmed the injury was from a bullet wound.