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Man Sought In Brutal Attack On Small Dog In San Francisco

Warning: Video above may be disturbing

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- A small dog which was yapping at a man on a San Francisco sidewalk was severely injured after the man brutally kicked into a wall in an attack caught on camera.

Investigators are thankful the attack and the suspect were captured on video and hope the publicized images lead to an arrest.

Surveillance video obtained by KPIX 5 clearly shows a little dog running up to a stranger and the man then kicking it away.

But the dog recovered and ran up to the man again. That's when the man kicked it again, launching it into a wall and fracturing its skull, according to police.

The man then ran off. Investigators obtained close up pictures of the suspect, who appears to be a black man in his 30s, wearing a dark, short sleeve shirt, some king of necklace, dark pants and a black do-rag or skullcap.

Dog owner Lynda Coburn saw it happen in front of her is the dog's owner. "I'm devastated, you know? He's my everything," she said.

Coburn has had four-year-old Puppet - a Chihuahua and Jack Russell mix - since he was a puppy. She's homeless and sleeps in the alley near Annie and Market streets where the attack happened.

Coburn said before the man kicked Puppet, he had been fighting with a nearby. "My dog could feel that anger in him because he's basically my service dog. He's not certified yet, but he's my service dog and he was barking at him."

In the video, Coburn is seen running over and scooping the unconscious dog into her arms.

Fortunately, she has a close relationship with the building owners who help her from time to time. They're paying her dog's medical bills and called police who arrived on scene within minutes of the attack.

One officer actually transported the dog in a police vehicle rather than wait for animal care and control to arrive.

Now Coburn is just waiting for answers, hoping Puppet survives the night. "He's the only thing I live for out here," she said.

San Francisco police urge anyone who recognizes the man in the video to contact the department.

 

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