DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — DeKalb County Police are looking for a man accused of abusing a dog.
Mekhi Jackson is now wanted by police after they were shown a video depicting animal cruelty. Surveillance images released by police show a man standing over and holding a small dog.
Later, the dog was found dead, police said.
A criminal background checks shows Jackson previously was charged with three counts of felony aggravated assault and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Surveillance images of animal cruelty case
Investigators said the video was taken Sunday, March 12 at 2051 Flat Shoals Road, which is listed as Highlands of East Atlanta on Google Maps.
What happened in the video has shocked and angered many animal lovers, including Cobb County Animal Services Director Stephen Hammond.
“It's appalling," Hammond said. “From what I can see in the video, there's no justification. The dog tried to get away from him. The dog's not attacking him. This is just a brutal attack on this dog.”
Hammond believes the dog suffered a painful death.
“It that's a horrible death," Hammond said. "I mean, this is not a small dog. He didn't just pick it up and throw a little dog against the wall. This was a medium to large sized dog that that was that was hell for that dog.”
Hammond said the suspect could spend years behind bars if convicted.
“He could absolutely face aggravated cruelty to animals, which is a felony in Georgia. That can carry a five-year prison sentence," Hammond said. “Without that video, and if you didn't have an eyewitness, it would be hard to prosecute this because you just wouldn't know what it actually happened, but with this video, there's not much doubt left.”
If you have any information about Jackson’s whereabouts, call 911 immediately. Police said do not approach him. You may also call Detective Watson with DeKalb County Police at 404-286-7990.