FORMER SOCCER STAR DETAINED AFTER DISTURBING VIDEO ALLEGEDLY SHOWS HIM DANGLING A DOG BY ITS HIND LEGS FROM AN APARTMENT WINDOW — AS POLICE TAKE ACTION A former professional footballer has been detained following allegations of animal cruelty after footage reportedly captured a deeply troubling incident involving a dog. The video allegedly shows the animal being held by its hind legs outside an apartment window, prompting serious concerns about its safety and the circumstances surrounding the incident. With police now involved, questions remain about what led to the alleged act, what happened to the dog afterwards and what consequences the former player could face. 👇 SEE WHAT THE VIDEO ALLEGEDLY SHOWS, WHAT POLICE HAVE REVEALED AND WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DOG BELOW.

Police apprehended Héctor Alejandro Rosales Bonilla, 64, in San Salvador on Tuesday, Oct. 20, in the wake of the viral video, which showed a man dangling a small dog from the window of what appeared to be a fifth-story apartment. The National Civil Police of El Salvador (PNC) and the city’s mayor shared details about the incident on X.

The PNC said on X on Oct. 20 that Rosales Bonilla — who is a former professional soccer player, according to the New York Post — will be referred to the authorities to face charges of animal abuse. “We will not tolerate this type of action,” the PNC said in a statement translated from Spanish.

The law enforcement agency also shared photos of Rosales Bonilla with his hands behind his back, seemingly due to handcuffs, as a police officer held a small dog beside him. Another small dog stands at Rosales Bonilla’s feet in the image.

Along with police, the mayor’s office was also involved in apprehending the former soccer pro, according to a post that San Salvador Mayor Mario Durán shared on X the same day.

“We received a report through social media about a little dog that was being a victim of animal abuse,” Durán said in the post, translated from Spanish. “Immediately, our team, along with @PNCSV, intervened and managed to rescue it. Now it is safe and will receive the care it needs.”

Photos shared show both police officers and officials from the mayor’s office arriving to take Rosales Bonilla into custody. A video shared by the mayor’s office also shows an official playing with one of the dogs.

PEOPLE reached out to the PNC and the San Salvador mayor’s office for additional information, but did not immediately hear back. Rosales Bonilla could not be reached for comment.

In the footage, a man alleged to be Rosales Bonilla dangles the pug by its hind legs, which he holds in one hand, out of an apartment window. He can be seen holding out a phone, appearing to take a photo or video of the dog as it hangs from the window and cries out for help.

The video, which begins with the dog already hanging by its legs, shows the animal dangling for at least four seconds before the man pulls it back inside the apartment and walks away from view.

According to the Post, Rosales Bonilla was a professional soccer player in the 1990s, when he played with C.D. Águila, a club in El Salvador’s Primera División. The outlet reported that he now works as a dentist.