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Man Arrested For Allegedly Strapping Fireworks to a Dog and Lighting Them
A suspect has been arrested for animal cruelty after a dog had fireworks strapped to him and set on fire last July, causing third-degree burns.Forty-one-year-old Carlos Duarte was arrested Thursday following a police investigation surrounding a 3-year-old pit bull named Indy, LAPD reported. A man was seeing pulling the severely injured dog from his truck and left to die in an alley last July 4, after the dog had fireworks strapped to him and lit, leaving third-degree burns on his chest, paws and rear legs.
Video showed the alleged truck involved in the incident, and a media release was sent out asking for the public’s help in locating it. The truck was eventually found, and Duarte was positively identified by witnesses. One count of felony animal cruelty was charged against Duarte, and his bail is set at $30,000.
Indy was picked up by a Good Samaritan in Van Nuys July 5 and later taken to a shelter to treat his injuries. Nicknamed “Indy” because he was found around Independence Day, the dog won many hearts and donations to his recovery after the story surfaced, according to NBCLA, even receiving support from Ellen DeGeneres.
At least this story has a happy ending: After seven months of treatment and rehabilitation at Westlake Village Animal Hospital, Indy was adopted and is being trained to be a therapy dog.
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