Tyrese Gibson was booked into a Georgia jail early Friday and released on a $20,000 bond following an arrest warrant for cruelty to animals, police said. The actor had failed to turn himself in a week earlier after the warrant was issued.
The charges stem from an incident on September 18, when Gibson's four Cane Corso dogs attacked a neighbour's small spaniel about half a mile from his home. The dog was rushed to a veterinary hospital but did not survive, according to Fulton County Police Captain Nicole Dwyer.
Police say the dogs had been roaming the neighbourhood unsupervised and were seen on camera at a next-door neighbour's house minutes after the attack. Animal control officers responded to keep the dogs back so the neighbour could reach her car.
Gibson initially told police he would surrender the dogs on September 22, but when officers arrived, he requested more time. As of Friday, the four dogs remain unaccounted for, Dwyer said.
In a statement posted on Instagram, Gibson and his lawyer Gabe Banks said the actor was not home when the attack occurred and had made the decision to rehome the dogs. Banks noted that Gibson had dealt with stalkers for years and brought the dogs in for protection, adding they were not trained to be vicious.
“I had no idea I would ever wake up to this nightmare,” Gibson said in the statement. “I remain committed to facing this matter with honesty, responsibility, and compassion.”
