CHINO HILLS, Calif. – A Southern California man has been arrested after allegedly pouring boiling water on his girlfriend’s caged dog, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department officials announced Wednesday.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department on Nov. 8, 2017, released this photo of a dog who allegedly had boiling water poured on it.
Witnesses on Tuesday apparently called authorities after hearing the dog yelp in pain. Those witnesses, 17-year-old teens, according to the San Bernardino Sun, spotted the man and watched him pour water on the dog at least five times. The incident was recorded on video.
Deputies responded to the 16000 block of Butterfield Ranch Road to do a welfare check on the dog and found that the suspect, Enping Qu, of Chino Hills, had a tea kettle with hot water on a warming plate, according to KTLA.
“The dog’s coat and skin were warm from the water,” according to a sheriff’s news release.
Officials with the Inland Valley Humane Society discovered that the water in the kettle measured at 129 degrees and the dog was taken to a veterinarian for observation.
The video showing the alleged incident will not be released pending the ongoing investigation, officials said.
Qu, 22, was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty.
The deputies used a translator on their phones to communicate with the suspect, who told them that the dog belonged to his girlfriend, according to the Sun. The girlfriend was not home at the time.
Qu has been released on bail, the newspaper reported.
