The suspect in the death of a 9-year-old Yorkshire terrier in the Krastova Vada district of Sofia is at the Sofia Directorate of Interior with his lawyer. The man is due to be detained and escorted to the Fourth Police Station for the necessary procedural actions. This was announced by Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev.
The incident took place on November 1 at around 9:00 p.m. The dead dog was a 9-year-old Yorkshire terrier named Knopo, weighing about 3 kilograms. Footage from a security camera, circulated online, shows a man kicking the animal. The dog died after the blow.
According to information from BNT, the Sofia Directorate of Interior identified the suspect and declared him wanted because he had been hiding. Pre-trial proceedings have been initiated in the case. Earlier in the day, the Sofia Directorate of Interior said that the man was still being sought, but information subsequently emerged that he had appeared at the police station with a lawyer.
A protest was organized in the district, where residents called for the institutions to respond and for accountability in cases of violence against animals. The Interior Minister stated: “Violence against animals cannot be ignored.”
Demerdzhiev described cruelty toward defenseless animals as unacceptable and said that the Sofia Directorate of Interior had responded to the report. The investigative actions are due to continue at the Fourth Police Station. The suspect’s guilt and the precise legal classification of the case must be established במסגרת the pre-trial proceedings and by the court.