FONTANA – A 34-year-old Fontana man was arrested for brutally beating a kitten on Tuesday afternoon.
Authorities said that at around 2:45 p.m, they responded to an apartment complex in the 9200 block of Olive Avenue regarding the man assaulting the 3-4-month-old kitten. Lucio Cota Lopez, 34, of Fontana, fled the scene before the initial officer arrived. Although he fled, Lopez was located near Oleander and San Bernardino.
Through investigation, authorities learned that Lopez became upset with the kitten after it entered the apartment. Witnesses said that as a result, Lopez put the kitten in the freezer, later took it out and squeezed the kitten’s tiny body as the kitten cried. He then threw the female kitten from the second-story balcony. “The kitten struck the concrete floor resulting in major injuries to its chest and fractured leg,” authorities said.
Lopez was booked into the West Valley Detention Center for animal cruelty and an outstanding warrant. The female Tortie kitten, named Olive by the emergency veterinary clinic staff is doing well but will need surgery and continued care during her recovery.
