Tyrese Gibson was booked into a Georgia jail early Friday, a week after he failed to turn himself in following an arrest warrant for cruelty to animals, police said.
Gibson was released the same day on a $20,000 bond, Fulton County Police Captain Nicole Dwyer said. He has still not turned his four Cane Corso dogs to police, who authorities say killed a neighbor’s small dog in mid-September and had roamed the neighborhood unsupervised at various times over the past few months.
“We are glad he did the right thing and turned himself in,” Dwyer wrote to The Associated Press, noting the four dogs are still unaccounted for.
Gibson’s lawyer, Gabe Banks, wrote to the AP Friday that his legal team secured a consent bond, meaning the terms of his bond were set before he voluntarily turned himself in. Banks wrote Gibson “has cooperated fully with legal authorities and will continue to do so until this matter is resolved.”
Banks had previously told AP that the actor wasn’t home when the incident took place and “immediately made the difficult decision to rehome his dogs to a safe and loving environment,” including two adult dogs and their three puppies.
A search warrant for the “Fast & Furious” actor’s property was issued alongside the arrest warrant days after the Sept. 18 incident, when the dogs attacked a small spaniel owned by a neighbor about a half a mile away from Gibson’s house. The dog was rushed to a veterinary hospital, but did not survive, Dwyer said.
The dogs were seen on camera minutes later at the next-door neighbor’s house, where the owner called police to report she couldn’t reach her car because of the animals. Animal control officers responded and were able to keep the dogs back while the neighbor went to her vehicle.
Gibson had initially told police he would surrender his dogs on Sept 22, but when officers arrived, he said he needed a few more days, according to a police press release.
Gibson posted a video to Instagram that included various clips of his dogs early Monday and reposted it the following day with a statement from him and his lawyer. Banks wrote Gibson had dealt with stalkers for years, and “his only motivation in bringing these dogs into his life was to protect his family and provide peace of mind.”
Banks added the dogs weren’t “trained to be vicious,” and “had never harmed a child, a person, or another dog. This tragic event is shocking and traumatizing for him and his family — and he can only imagine how devastating it has been for the family who lost their pet.”
“I had no idea I would ever wake up to this nightmare, and I know the family must feel the same way. To them, please know that my heart is broken for you,” Gibson said in the statement. “I am praying for your healing and for your beloved pet, who never deserved this. I remain committed to facing this matter with honesty, responsibility, and compassion.”
