DeKalb County Police have arrested a Forsyth man after he allegedly killed a dog by throwing it off the I-20 overpass last week.

Michael Copeland, 48, of Cumming, was arrested June 27 after several witnesses allegedly saw a white male pick up a small dog, “and throw it onto the highway,” near the I-20 east bound exit ramp at Wesley Chapel Road, according to Shiera Campbell, Public Information Officer for the DeKalb County Police Department.

Campbell said that the male, later determined to be Copeland, was held at the scene by witnesses until officers arrived. He was then arrested, charged with felony animal cruelty and taken to the DeKalb County Jail.

According to Campbell, the dog sustained severe injuries in the incident that resulted in its death. It is unknown whether the dog was owned by Copeland, but authorities say that it was wearing a rabies tag with a Cumming address.

The incident is currently under investigation by the DeKalb County Police Department’s Animal Cruelty Unit.

As of Tuesday afternoon, records show that Copeland was still held at the DeKalb County Jail under a bond of $5,000.