Atlantic City police say police in North Carolina are now handling the investigation of a viral video showing a boy beating a dog.
The video, which was shared across several social mediums, shows the boy holding down the small dog by its collar.
He then strikes the dog several times with his fist, stomps on it and kicks it. At one point, he lifts the dog into the air by its collar and then throws it to the ground.
The dog is heard yelping several times, and eventually runs away.
The originally posted video has been taken down.
Atlantic City Police were able to identify the child, who is from Atlantic City, and talked to family members who cooperated with the investigation, police said.
The incident occurred while the child was staying at a family member's residence in North Carolina.
Detectives have been told that the dog is alive and well, Lt. Kevin Fair said.
The boy is getting help, BreakingAC has learned.
(NOTE: This story originally ran March 6, and included the full video. Due to a request from the family, the video has been removed and the child's face blurred.)
