Tyrese Gibson says he isn’t evading a police arrest warrant for animal cruelty.
On Tuesday, in an exclusive statement to The Breakfast Club’s Loren Lorosa, Tyrese says he “is not on the run” after his Cane Corso dogs allegedly escaped his home and killed a neighbor’s dog.
Accusations that he’s trying to elude an arrest emerged when he announced on Instagram that he needed time away to work on his mental health. “I’ll be gone til November,” he wrote, revealing that he’s in Los Angeles with family.
“Mr. Tyrese Gibson wishes to extend his deepest condolences to the family who lost their beloved dog in this tragic incident,” Tyrese’s attorney told Lorosa. “His heart is truly broken, and he has been praying for the family constantly, hoping they may one day find it in their hearts to forgive him.”
“Mr. Gibson was out of town when the incident occurred, but he accepts full responsibility for his dogs. As soon as he learned what had happened, he immediately made the incredibly difficult decision to rehome his two adult dogs and their three puppies in safe and loving homes. The liability of keeping them was simply too great, and his heart could not bear the thought of anything like this ever happening again.”
The statement continued, explaining that Gibson got the dogs because he had been “dealing with stalkers randomly showing up to his home.” Prior to the attack, he says his dogs “never harmed a child, a person, or another dog.”
“I had no idea I would ever wake up to this, and I know the family must feel the same way,” Tyrese said himself in a statement. “To the family, please know that my heart is broken for you. 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.”
According to Fox 5 Atlanta, the attack happened on Sept. 18, when Tyrese’s four Cane Corsos killed a neighbor’s 5-year-old King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, named Henry. The actor and singer’s dogs had gotten loose in the Buckhead, Georgia neighborhood. Security footage from other neighbors’ cameras shows the dogs running around yards before the incident.
Days later, on Sept. 22, Tyrese said he believed his dogs were behind the attack. He didn’t turn the dogs over immediately and said he needed a few days. That’s when Animal Services Capt. Nicole Dwyer issued search and arrest warrants.