The surveillance video showed the CEO of an environmental compliance firm beating and beating his dog, and police said they were investigating after a public outcry.
The incident was reported by the Daily Mail, which received the video from the concierge at the Seychelle Condominiums building in Santa Monica, California.
The video shows Jeffrey Previte, 46, beating and beating his dog in front of his residential unit on August 22nd.
The concierge, who asked to remain anonymous, informed the Daily Mail that he heard the dog whimper at the front desk and filed a report with the police about the incident.
“I heard the dog scream and when I looked at the camera I saw him hit the dog,” he said.
Previte made a statement claiming that the concierge tried to blackmail him over the incident.
“I find it very unfortunate that this came across your desk. I’m not even sure what to say, but I will say this: [The concierge] called me on the evening of that interaction with my dog and that was at nine o’clock in the morning and he was trying to extort money from me so he wouldn’t report it to the building, “Previte said in the statement.
“There’s nothing illegal about what I’ve done. I said if you have to tell the building, tell the building,” he added. “The facility manager took it very seriously. I find it very unfortunate that we are even talking about it.”
The story angered many on social media who demanded that the police investigate the matter.
“SMPD’s Animal Services Unit is continuing to investigate the incident for a violation of Penal Code 597 (a) – Animal Abuse. We appreciate advice from the community,” the Santa Monica Police Department’s official social media account tweeted.
The concierge said the building’s management did not take his report seriously and that he took a day off after reporting it.
The facility management company released a statement to the Daily Mail.
“The shareholder’s apparent behavior was abhorrent and completely unacceptable,” the statement said. “The facility management is behind our employee and we have taken action quickly, including contacting animal control and instructing the resident to cease all contact with our employee. We are continuing to review other actions that can be taken with our attorney.”
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