Leon Teague. (Facebook)
An 18-year-old Chicago man has been charged with felony animal torture after police said they identified him as the person seen dumping a pan of scalding water onto a cat outside his home.
Leon Teague, of South King Drive, was arrested Thursday, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Teague was also charged with a misdemeanor count of depiction of animal cruelty.
The video went viral Thursday, being viewed hundreds of thousands of times on social media sites, despite being deleted by the original poster. The case was investigated by the Chicago Police Animal Crimes Unit and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.
The cat survived the Tuesday night attack, police said.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The Video Shows Teague Boiling a Pot of Water Before Scalding the Cat, Police Say
The video, which you can watch above, was posted on Facebook on Tuesday and has since been deleted. It was reposted by other Facebook users.
In the video, the man, identified by police as Leon Teague, can be seen boiling the pot of water on a stove. He then tells someone off screen to “open the window.” A white and brown cat can is heard meowing and then is seen at the window. The man says, “b*tch move, move,” and “get the f**k down!”
The man or a woman off camera begins making kissing noises toward the cat, which is near a litter box outside the window on a deck. The splash of the boiling water hitting the cat and deck can be heard, and the cat cries out, racing around the deck. The man then tells the cat not to come back while the cat’s cries can be heard in the distance.
2. The Cat Is Still Alive but Ran Away From Officers Trying to Catch It
A video uploaded to Facebook shows a man dumping hot water on this cat. (Facebook)
The cat’s condition is not known, but it was not killed. In the video, the cat can be seen running off of the deck while screeching after being hit by the water.
Police told the Chicago Tribune the cat was last seen alive in the area of South Kind Drive, but ran off when officers tried to catch it.
3. The Suspect Goes by ‘GlockBoy MurDoc’ on Facebook
(Facebook)
Leon Teague used the nickname “GlockBoy MurDoc” on Facebook. It was on that now-deleted page where he posted the video that led to his arrest.
Teague attended Dunbar Vocational High School in Chicago, according to posts on his Facebook page.
4. Teague Allegedly Said the Cat Would Meow ‘Histerically’ Looking for Food
Leon Teague. (Chicago Police)
A petition was started on the website YourSignAnimals.org to call attention to the video.
“The man has no fear of admitting his actions, claiming the cat annoyed him very much because it likes to comes in people’s houses and meows ‘histerically’, asking for a bite to eat.
So this monster took it upon himself to teach this innocent cat a lesson it would never forget,” the person who started the petition said. “No cat deserves such treatment. And the fact that this boy is laughing while committing this terrible attack makes it even worse. Not to mention the fact that he had his buddies film the entire scene and later boasted about it online!”
5. Several Police Departments in North Carolina Also Investigated the Video After Rumors Spread That It Was Recorded There
(Facebook)
Police departments in North Carolina received hundreds of complaints about the video after it was rumored that it was recorded there.
Investigators even tracked down a man in Martin County, North Carolina, the Greenville Police Department said in a Facebook post.
“We wanted to reassure everyone that we have taken this video seriously. Very early this morning, we were able to determine that the individual who posted this video does NOT live in Greenville; however, it’s possible he visits this area,” Greenville Police said. “We are still in the very preliminary stages of an investigation. Detectives have not yet determined who the person is in the video, where this occurred, or IF this occurred in Eastern North Carolina.”
“We realize there were multiple other agencies in the area who received information about this and we will be reaching out to them as the investigation continues. Thanks for your patience. We share in your concern and passion for animals and we want to assure you that a thorough and complete investigation is being conducted.”
