WATCH THE VIDEO: MAN THROWS DOG ON VIDEO RELEASED BY POLICE.
BOYNTON BEACH, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — Boynton Beach Police arrested a man they say repeatedly and violently abused a service dog in two separate attacks along South Federal Highway, caught on surveillance video just a day apart.
The first incident happened September 9 in the 2300 block of South Federal Highway. A witness told officers she saw a man lift a black lab over his head and slam it to the ground near a bus stop outside Taco Bell. The dog, later identified as Rex, was wearing a red “service dog” vest and weighed roughly 50 pounds. Officers searched the area but couldn’t find the man or the dog.
A second witness called police the next morning after watching a nearly identical scene unfold just blocks away. She said a man choked the same black lab with its leash, lifted it off the ground, swung it through the air, and hit it with a water bottle. The dog was shaking and cowering, visibly terrified, the caller told police. BBPD’s Animal Control Officer canvassed the area and pulled surveillance footage of both attacks. One video shows the suspect flipping the dog upside down in mid-air before slamming it onto the pavement. The other shows him yanking the leash, striking the dog with a bottle, and hoisting it several feet into the air by its neck before dropping it.
Investigators identified the suspect as 52-year-old Juan Latrez Poole, whom a witness picked out of a photo lineup. Boynton Beach Police arrested Poole on September 14 on a charge of Felony Animal Cruelty. He’s being held at the Palm Beach County Jail. Rex was taken to Palm Beach County Animal Care & Control, where he’s now waiting for a forever home.
