Long Beach Man Arrested For Allegedly Strangling Girlfriend's Cat

REDONDO BEACH (CBSLA.com) — A Long Beach man was arrested early Wednesday on animal cruelty charges after he allegedly strangled his girlfriend's cat.

Sergei Smirnoff, 23, was arrested around 1:50 a.m. at a home in the 2300 block of Carnegie Lane in Redondo Beach, police said.

Officers were notified that Smirnoff reportedly hurt the cat in his girlfriend's garage and discovered its body when they arrived on scene.

"It appears that during a fit of rage, Smirnoff strangled the cat," Sgt. Shawn Freeman said.

Smirnoff was booked at the Redondo Beach jail on $20,000 bail. He was due to make his first court appearance on Dec. 29.