Angel Ramos-Corrales, Animal Crushing, California 2024

A Riverside man has pleaded guilty to a federal criminal charge for inflicting severe injuries on a puppy and posting videos of the suffering animal on his social media accounts.

Angel Ramos-Corrales, 19, of Riverside, pleaded guilty to one felony count of animal crushing on February 13. According to his plea agreement, Ramos-Corrales assaulted his pet dog, Canelo, inflicting severe injuries to the puppy's head and torso, causing skull and rib fractures.

The dog's injuries caused it to continuously fall headfirst, and Ramos-Corrales recorded a video of the injured puppy and posted it on his Instagram account. He then slit Canelo's throat by approximately 4.4 centimeters (1.7 inches), causing the dog to bleed significantly and lapse into unconsciousness.

Ramos-Corrales recorded another video of the puppy while it was lying on a bathroom floor, posted it on his Snapchat account, and made a series of statements, including 'I'm cold-hearted.' He then callously kicked the still-alive Canelo.

After law enforcement arrived at Ramos-Corrales' residence, Riverside County Department of Animal Services took custody of Canelo and a veterinarian determined that the dog was still alive, but later euthanized Canelo due to the severity of the dog's injuries.

United States District Judge John F. Walter has scheduled an August 16 sentencing hearing, at which time Ramos-Corrales will face a statutory maximum sentence of seven years in federal prison.

The FBI investigated this matter and received substantial assistance from the Riverside Police Department. The Riverside County District Attorney's Office received the initial referral from the Riverside Police Department, and, after reviewing the matter and conferring with the United States Attorney's Office, a decision was made that federal prosecutors would file the case.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/riverside-man-pleads-guilty-animal-crushing-charge-severely-injuring-puppy-then-posting