Man breaks into West Hollywood apartment, beats dog to death

Authorities are searching for a man they say beat his ex-roommate’s dog to death in a West Hollywood apartment where he used to live.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies responded to reports of a burglary at an apartment in the 1200 block of Harper Avenue on Sept. 4. When they arrived, the resident told deputies their dog was dead and they had surveillance footage from inside the home that showed a suspect, the sheriff’s department announced in a news release.

The footage shows a masked man enter the apartment and jog toward the small dog. The man then proceeds to attack the dog until it stops moving, according to authorities. The attack took place at 11:36 p.m. and the sheriff’s department said the suspect did not have permission to enter the apartment.

Sheriff’s investigators said the person of interest, 27-year-old Anmol Bhatia, used to live at the apartment and was previously kicked out several days before the break-in. Investigators believe he also stole some items from the apartment.

Bhatia has black hair, brown eyes, weighs 160 pounds and is 5 feet 10 inches tall, authorities said. Anyone with information can contact the West Hollywood Sheriff’s station at (310) 855-8850.