“THAT LITTLE DOG IS WHAT MATTERS, NOTHING ELSE”: Viral Miami balcony video leads to arrest
Miami, Florida – A disturbing cellphone video showing a thin dog alone on a high-rise balcony at ParkLine Miami quickly went viral after viewers noticed feces scattered across the concrete, with no food or water visible in the footage and no person in sight.
The woman who posted the video, identified by CBS Miami as Rosalicia Bernal, captured the scene from another part of the building. What she recorded triggered an enormous response.
According to reporting from Telemundo 51, Miami-Dade Animal Services received more than 100 reports within hours as neighbors and animal advocates tried to figure out exactly where the dog was and how to get the dog out. Police responded to the high-rise, but there was an unusual problem. Officers could see the balcony from outside, yet reportedly had difficulty determining which apartment inside the building corresponded with it. With help from residents, officers checked multiple units and attempted to contact occupants, but the initial effort ended without anyone opening the correct door.
Among those trying to help was community member Katerina Balzano. Her message to whoever was responsible for the dog was simple: “Hand him over to me, because for me, that little dog is what matters, nothing else.”
And now we know much more about what happened next. Video aired by CBS Miami shows an officer carrying the dog out of the building. CBS also reports that Kevin Alexander Benjamin, a Miami musician who performs as DJ KB, was arrested Friday and is facing an animal-cruelty charge.
The Miami-Dade jail record lists Benjamin’s charge as “ANIMAL/CRUELTY TO WITH INTENT TO INJURE, KILL” and shows a $5,000 bond. That charge description corresponds with Florida’s aggravated-animal-cruelty statute, a third-degree felony. Florida law says aggravated animal cruelty includes intentionally committing an act, or failing to act when responsible for an animal, when that results in a cruel death or the excessive or repeated infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering.
Benjamin is accused, not convicted, and the precise allegations supporting the charge will be important when the arrest affidavit and other investigative records become available. CBS described the dog as seemingly malnourished, and the video certainly raises questions about the dog’s condition. But I want the veterinary records before making conclusions about exactly what the dog was suffering from or how long those conditions existed.
There are still questions I want answered. How long had the dog been on that balcony? Was there food or water somewhere outside the camera’s view? What did officers and Animal Services find when they finally reached the dog? What did a veterinarian determine about the dog’s weight and medical condition? Were there previous complaints? And where is the dog being cared for now?
There is another part of this story worth remembering. This did not begin with an arrest. It began because somebody looked across at a balcony, saw a dog and decided what she was seeing wasn’t right. She recorded it. People shared it. More than 100 reports reportedly followed. Neighbors and advocates kept trying to help. Police went back. The dog was carried out. And now a man is facing a felony animal-cruelty allegation.
“That little dog is what matters, nothing else.” That’s where this story started, and that’s where I think our attention should remain.
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Sources: Miami-Dade Corrections booking record; Miami-Dade Animal Services; Florida Statutes §828.12; CBS News Miami; NBC 6 South Florida; Telemundo 51.
Fair use. Innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.