Police arrest young man accused of brutally beating family dog

Police arrested a young man accused of brutally beating a family pet.

Detectives with the Animal Cruelty Investigative Unit obtained an arrest warrant for 18-year-old Leopoldo Ortega.

Investigators said a witness saw Ortega strike a female Belgian Malinois several times with a rake and a chair before lifting the dog and slamming it to the ground.

Police arrested Ortega Wednesday afternoon. He was booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility on a $2,500 bond.