HomeNewsWorldwide NewsMan who threw dog off bridge and posted video online brought to justice by internet users

Man who threw dog off bridge and posted video online brought to justice by internet users

19 November 2009

A young man who threw a dog off a bridge has been hunted down by outraged animal lovers on the internet. He had posted mobile phone video footage on a website of himself dropping the dog on to a road below.

The man, believed to be Lithuanian Svajunas Beniukas, was filmed by friend.
The footage starts with the 22-year-old carrying the dog - whose name is Pipiras, which means 'Pepper' - to the side of a bridge.
He speaks to the camera and makes a joke about filming proof that 'dogs can fly'.

While the trusting animal sits calmly in his arms, he scans the traffic to make sure no cars are coming.
Then, when the coast is clear, the dog is calmly dropped over the side of the bridge.
The footage also captures a second man who filmed the incident on his mobile phone.

Miraculously, the animal survives and - to the viewers' horror - can be heard crying in distress over the roar of the traffic.
The video is so shocking that most websites have barred its full content.
The dog was rescued and is receiving treatment for multiple fractures and internal injuries. It is expected to survive.
But the cruel clip quickly circulated in Lithuanian where the footage was shot causing mounting outrage.
It was then passed on to other countries and began to gather pace as more and more users around the world expressed their fury.
There then began an angry search among horrified animal lovers for the culprit.

Working with the authorities, they soon realised that the dog was dropped from a bridge in the Vilkija district in Kaunas, the second largest city in Lithuania.
Local police then worked with users of a local website to identify the man as Beniukas, who - on learning of the hunt online - turned himself in to police.
Baltic Times reporter Rokas Trecevsjis said Beniukas was already on police radar - he was a suspect in a robbery that had been committed earlier.
The dog had allegedly killed some of his mother's chickens at her home in the village of Seredzius.
It is believed Beniukas stole the dog and took it to the bridge to exact his revenge.
Beniukas, who lives in Kaunas, has been charged with animal cruelty.
If convicted, he faces up to a year in jail.

Police later issued a statement thanking users of the website 15.min.it, in particular, for helping them to identify the culprit.