Viral videos that are making the rounds on social media appears to show a woman on an electric scooter dragging a dog on the street in Bakersfield.
23ABC was made aware of pictures showing a person holding a dog with bloody paws over the weekend.
A viewer contacted 23ABC on Monday with surveillance videos that shows the moments the person traveled in the area of Downtown Bakersfield, with the dog dragged behind.
23ABC spoke with as witness Brandon Sanders, who saw the incident happen while him and his girlfriend were on a bike ride Sunday afternoon. Sanders said, at first it looked like a stuffed animal because the dog was motionless. Him and his girlfriend, kept yelling at the woman to stop, but Sanders said she was wearing headphones and unsure if she heard him.
One of the videos shows that woman slowing down and stopping, then she looks down at her dog and then drags the dog closer to the side walk.
As Sanders got closer to the woman, he asked her she and her dog were ok she said, 'S--t happens just like it does with kids," said Sanders, "We told her no you don't drag your kids behind a scooter at 15 miles-per-hour."
Sanders said, “the dog popped it’s head up. It wasn’t making any noises or anything like that, it was kind of surprising and when I got up closer I could see all the bloody paws." It wasn't just one paw, it was all four.
"I was on my bicycle and she was walking and when she looked at me and saw that I was taking a picture of her she smiled at me, kind of a smart-alec-smile. I'm not going to say what she did was intentional but it was very negligent. She had drug the dog at least a 100 yards before she checked that it was there and that’s just from what we saw, from the point when we saw her to when she stopped," said Sanders.
He said he had no idea hold long she had been dragging the dog before that.
"She was kind of looking at her, I'm saying her because she was calling her Mama. She reached down and fidgeted with her a bit and finally picked her up. We asked what where you doing? What where you thinking? And she said to leave her alone," said Sanders.
Bakersfield Police says it's investigating the incident. No arrests have been made and no charges have been filed.
“We find the video to be deeply disturbing and are appreciative of the community for bringing it to our attention. This type of rider behavior is wrong and prohibited by Bird. As soon as we were made aware of the video, we began our own investigation of the incident and have suspended the account for the individual involved in the incident."
Bird has stated that they continue to encourage people in the communities in which Bird operates to report incidents of irresponsible behavior using the scooter to the company as well as local authorities. A Bird spokesperson said that they investigate all reports directed to the company and take appropriate measures, including removing people from the platform.
Bird has stated that they continue to encourage people in the communities in which Bird operates to report incidents of irresponsible behavior using the scooter to the company as well as local authorities. A Bird spokesperson said that they investigate all reports directed to the company and take appropriate measures, including removing people from the platform.
"I love animals. I love all animals and I believe they should be cared for just like a child," said Sanders.
"I love animals. I love all animals and I believe they should be cared for just like a child," said Sanders.
