SF police arrest man in Mission Bay for allegedly killing dog

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SAN FRANCISCO - Police in San Francisco arrested a man in the city’s Mission Bay neighborhood on Monday after he allegedly killed a dog.

What we know:

San Francisco Police Department officers were called around 11:10 a.m. on Monday to the 400 block of China Basin Street on reports of a person assaulting a dog, according to a department statement.

Officers arrived at the scene and found the suspect "in possession of a deceased dog." The man was detained and officers conducted interviews with witnesses who provided them with information.

The San Francisco District Attorney's Office said the man – later identified as 46-year-old Charles Roy Wentworth of San Francisco – allegedly strangled his pitbull "Smokey" to death in public.

"Multiple witnesses observed Mr. Wentworth allegedly aggressively pulling and choking the dog by a leash/collar, lifting the dog off the ground so that its front paws were in the air," the district attorney's office said in a statement. "Witnesses reported that Smokey went limp, collapsed, and became unresponsive. Mr. Wenworth allegedly dragged Smokey’s body around until SFPD officers arrived on scene."

Wentworth was arrested and booked into jail on suspicion of felony animal cruelty.

"Violence and cruelty towards animals are unacceptable," said San Francisco Police Department Acting Commander Chris Del Gandio. "This is an extremely disturbing incident that was witnessed by our community, and our officers acted swiftly to locate the suspect and place him under arrest."

What's next:

Wentworth is scheduled to be arraigned in court at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

He is being held in jail without bail.