Virginia man accused of stabbing dog being investigated in another animal cruelty case
LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. - A Virginia man accused of stabbing a dog, resulting in its euthanasia, is being investigated in another animal cruelty incident, authorities have confirmed.
Reyan Hassan Ibrahim, 25, of Broadlands, Virginia is facing charges after authorities in Falls Church said he stabbed a dog Sunday, Jan. 14 around 9:15 p.m.
The incident happened near the intersection of W. Broad Street and S. Maple Avenue. The dog was being walked by its owner and euthanized later as a result of its injuries, according to police.
Ibrahim is also being investigated as a possible suspect in an incident at Wheatland Farm in Purcellville and potentially previous incidents, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.
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Muriel Forrest and her family own Wheatland Farm, which is an inclusive equestrian center. The center serves children and adults with learning disabilities, along with individuals without learning disabilities. Forrest said one of her employees immediately recognized the suspect from news reports, alleging that he was on their farm twice last week.
The first time was on Friday afternoon when a manager spotted him climbing a fence and go into a pasture where they keep their horses, according to Forrest. The manager asked a coworker to accompany her, as they approached him.
"She asked what he was doing there and he informed her, he felt the horses were possessed. He seemed very agitated and upset," Forrest said.
Despite informing the suspect the horses were being taken care of and handled, Forrest said the suspect remained adamant in his claims before he was eventually asked to leave. Forrest’s son later made a discovery by the chickens and ducks.
"He said, ‘two of our ducks are lying dead, but I can’t find any feathers. They don’t look like they were attacked by anything. They’re just laying dead’. He said, ‘three of them are missing. My poor rooster’s neck has been twisted, but he’s not dead’," Forrest told FOX 5.
Forrest said Ibrahim returned Saturday but this time, he wore a mask and appeared to be heading toward the pasture again before he got away.
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"We could see that he had this long, what looked like a machete or a long baton of some kind. Very disturbing," she said. "It was shocking to our core. We have a great community in western Loudoun County. We leave doors open. Our wonderful sheriff’s department. It was shocking. It was frightening. I think what was frightening was, we began to put the information together and realize what we were dealing with was clearly a person who had very bad intentions."
Forrest said she had great sorrow for the family of the dog killed in Falls Church.
"The first thing that occurred to us when we realized this man had violent intentions with the animals was that could switch in a moment to a person. We know historically, data shows it…that propensity to violence towards animals does lead many times to violence towards people. We’re very glad the owner of the dog escaped without serious injury. That could have gone a different way," she said.
Ibrahim was arrested Monday by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) Police Department during a traffic stop near Dulles Airport at 11 a.m and transported to the Loudoun County detention facility.
Authorities said he was expected to be extradited to face charges by the City of Falls Church for the dog stabbing.