A woman was arrested for allegedly punching, kicking and beating a dog with a glass bottle near Boston Common Tuesday night, police said.
Jasmine Velasquez, 26, was arrested on animal cruelty charges after officers who happened to be in the area heard the dog crying and spotted her kicking it, according to the Boston Police Department.
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They rushed to the scene, across Tremont Street from the MBTA's Park Street Station, and got the dog away from its attacker as well as broken glass on the ground, police said.
The woman was seen by witnesses hitting the dog multiple times, including hitting it with a glass bottle. According to the police report, a witness told police that Valasquez hit the animal often.
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Felipe Giesteira was one of the people to witness the attack.
“The dog was scared, afraid," Giesteira told NBC10 Boston.
The dog, a 5-year-old Australian cattle dog named Rocky, has been helping Velasquez with balance issues after she broke her tibia last year. The dog was placed with Boston Animal Care and Control and is expected to recover from his injuries.
Velazquez is also accused of assaulting police, spitting in an officer’s face and urinating all over the floor of the station. The prosecution says she has a troubled history.
Velazquez appeared in Boston Municipal Court on Wednesday.
“Your honor, the defendant has a multiple page record. Five pages history of defaults…committed time… history of probation revocations," Assistant District Attorney Samuel Jones said.
Defense attorney Denise Moore argued her client has been trying to get back on track to regain custody of a 4-year-old son.
“She’s staying at Pine Street Inn at this time but she’s making a lot of efforts working with DCF," Moore said in court.
Velasquez also spoke on her own behalf, asking the judge for her release.
"Judge please don’t hold me release me I have to see my son I have to see my son once a week please," she said.
The Pine Street Inn told NBC10 Boston that Velazquez hasn’t been there in almost two years.
She was held on a $1,500 cash bail and is not allowed to own a dog as a condition while the case plays out. She is due back in court on December 18.
