NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Surveillance video from a gas station in the town of Doña Ana shows a man walking and immediately starting yelling and grabbing items off the counter. The Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office says that the man is Elee Silva. The clerk goes for the phone as the yelling continues and the destructive behavior escalates. Soon, the man is seen knocking items off counters and throwing merchandise at the clerk who tries to defend herself before fleeing the store.

The man turns his attention to destroying everything in sight, knocking displays off counters, toppling multiple shelves full of snacks, and taking down everything in his path. At one point, he grabs a computer off the counter and looks like he’s trying to disable it. That’s when he resorts to punching the screen and slamming it to the ground.

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The spree continues for another couple of minutes before the man heads outside. The rampage, however, is not over. Investigators say security video of the gas pumps shows Silva walking up to a customer’s car, where he again appears agitated. He opens the car door, grabs a small dog from inside, and flings the animal onto the asphalt. The dog darts away before the man heads around the car and after the driver.

He throws the man to the ground and continues the assault. That’s when bystanders start to take notice of what’s going on and rush to help. They manage to chase off Silva and deputies were able to arrest him a few minutes later. He’s been charged with battery, property damage, and animal cruelty.

According to court records, this was not Silva’s first public outburst. He was arrested in 2020 after Las Cruces Police say he was yelling inside a Walmart, then refused to cooperate with police, and spit in an officer’s face. Online records show, that case was dropped when prosecutors failed to share their evidence with the defense.