"Tearing Garbage Bags"... A Man in His 30s Arrested for 'Abusing Stray Cats with Metal Rod'

Man in 30s Booked for Animal Protection Act Violation and Theft
Police "Non-Detention Transfer Planned"

A man who abused a stray cat by hitting it with a metal rod in Cheonan, Chungnam, was arrested by the police.

The Cheonan Seobuk Police Station announced on the 21st that they have booked and are investigating a man in his 30s, Mr. A, on charges of violating the Animal Protection Act and theft. Mr. A is suspected of abusing or stealing stray cats at a cat feeding station set up in the parking lot of a mart in Seongseong-dong, Seobuk-gu, around midnight on the 4th.

Mr. A holding an iron rod and catching a stray cat.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

When a cat kept at the mart went missing, employees reviewed the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and witnessed Mr. A abusing the cat by hitting it with a metal rod and burning its head with a cigarette lighter. Footage also captured Mr. A bringing a cage trap and catching a kitten. Animal protection organizations such as Ray reported the incident to the police after receiving the tip.

After analyzing hundreds of CCTVs near the incident location, the police arrested Mr. A at his nearby residence the day before. During the police investigation, Mr. A explained the reason for his actions, saying, "The cats near my house kept tearing up garbage bags, making a mess and looking unpleasant, so I caught them to move them elsewhere." Regarding the abuse, he stated, "When I tried to catch the cats, other cats came running and interfered, so I swung the weapon to keep them away." As for the missing cat's whereabouts, he claimed, "I released it at a rest area on the way to Seoul."

Previously, a video released by the Cheonan-based animal protection group 'Dongai' showed a man wearing a mask pretending to feed the cats while trying to catch stray cats using a cage trap. When the cats were not easily caught, the man struck them with a metal rod and watched the cats in pain.

However, the police believe there is no evidence of additional abuse as suggested by some. A police official said, "We analyzed several days of CCTV footage but did not find any other additional crimes," adding, "We plan to send Mr. A to prosecution without detention soon after completing the investigation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.