MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A man who was caught on video allegedly throwing a dog off a bridge to its death was arrested Monday.
An arrest warrant was issued Sunday for Christopher Triplett, 18, on a charge of aggravated animal cruelty.
The incident happened Friday, Feb. 28. The dog was found dead Monday morning by a security guard of a truck center, who checked his security video footage to see what happened.
Video from a nearby business showed Triplett dragging a dog on its hind legs toward a pedestrian bridge on Lauderdale Street in South Memphis. The dog attempted to run away, but he caught him and then threw the dog off the bridge, twice.
According to reports, the second time he threw the dog off the bridge, it hit the ground head-first and did not get back up.
Police said that the security guard saw Triplett running across E.H. Crump back to the apartments without the dog, and he identified Triplett in a lineup.
Another witness in the area also said he saw Triplett coming and going from an apartment complex near the bridge with a dog around the time of its death.
It was back at those apartments Monday morning, where Willie Bruce said he saw his teenage neighbor get arrested.
“He was just saying, ‘Let me go.’ He didn’t want to go,” Bruce said.
Bruce said he was shocked when he heard about the case.
“It hurt me to my heart because I love animals. I love dogs,” Bruce said. “[It’s] real shocking because I got kids of my own and I got grandkids too. I wouldn’t want them seeing something like that.”
He said Triplett has always been respectful to him. So, it’s sad to see him go down this path.
“I just wish I could’ve sat down and spent some time with him and talked to him,” Bruce said.
Bruce said he hopes Triplett can get back on track.
“Try to help him, change him. He was doing good. He got him a job, started working. He was doing real good until this incident,” Bruce said. “He needs some help. He need some real help, some guidance.”
At this time, Triplett does not have a bond set but is due in court tomorrow.
