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Suspect Charged With Tossing 2 Cats In SF Bay

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Authorities have arrested a man suspected of grabbing two cats from a homeless woman and tossing them to their deaths in the San Francisco Bay.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that 33-year-old Eric Leroy Patterson tried to run from Animal Care and Control and San Francisco police officers before his arrest in downtown San Francisco Friday afternoon.

Authorities have been searching for Patterson since witnesses reported him as the person who grabbed a homeless woman's cat carries and the rest of her belonging of on Nov. 25. The witnesses said Patterson then tossed the carrier into the bay. The cats drowned before rescuers could pull the carrier from the water.

Patterson was booked into a city hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. He faces felony charges of animal cruelty.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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