DETROIT – Surveillance video circulating on social media showed someone throwing two cats from a moving vehicle at a gas station near 7 Mile Road and Grand River Avenue.
Police and animal cruelty investigators are investigating the incident because what happened to those cats was heartbreaking.
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Since the video began trending on social media, people have been coming to the gas station to look for the cats.
They all have the same question: Who would leave a cat to die this way?
Mike Hudson, a nearby resident, expressed his outrage.
“To see something like that in today’s society is really heartbreaking,” said Hudson.
Hudson could not stand that he was pumping gas in almost the exact spot where someone tossed two kittens from a moving car at this BP station on 7 Mile Road Monday (April 21) morning.
“Animal, human, whatever, it’s a life. You threw that out here. You didn’t even care,” Hudson said.
One cat was clearly injured, bouncing around in agony, while the other was left to watch helplessly.
“As someone who has worked in law enforcement on animal cruelty investigations for my entire career, I know that someone capable of doing something like this is not a safe person. They’re capable of doing something to humans, to your neighbors, to your children,” said Matt Pepper, president and CEO of the Michigan Humane Society.
It’s unclear if the cat had injuries before being tossed or if they were sustained after the driver took off.
The intent behind the act was also uncertain. Regardless, Pepper noted that the mistreatment of cats in the city is all too common.
“These types of violent acts are something that we are unfortunately used to handling and seeing. We take them very seriously,” Pepper said.
Comments on social media reveal that animal lovers who have watched the disturbing video were outraged.
“When they see the video, they say, ‘I don’t want to see it anymore.’ But when you show that video, people are going to be angry,” Hudson said.
As for the driver of the vehicle, investigators may have identified them by license plate.
“We are going to look and see if there are any surveillance videos out there that we can get additional perspective of this; we are going to identify the address and make contact with the suspect and see where that goes,” Pepper said.
“We need to find this guy—whether it was a man or a woman—and get this done. We don’t need this in society. We have a lot going on now; we don’t need anything else like this,” Hudson said.
Investigators now face the challenging task of locating the surviving cat.
In the meantime, they are asking anyone who can identify the driver to come forward.
Police are offering a $1,000 reward to anyone who has information leading to the arrest of the abuser regarding the disturbing video of the two kittens.
Anyone with information should contact the police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-Speak Up.
All tips to Crime Stoppers are anonymous. Click here to submit a tip online.
