Police charged Google worker after he was seen kicking a tiny, 5-pound rescue dog during a dispute with its owner on the Upper West Side, sources said.
Eric Morrison, 34, was slapped with the violation on Feb. 23 for kicking Jen Floyd’s Chihuahua named Knox — but Morrison maintains the dog owner was the aggressor, according to a police source.
Morrison, who studied at Yale and Oxford, according to a since-deleted social media profile, is accused of violating New York’s Agriculture and Markets law, the sources said.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office had no comment. The accused is due in court March 12, and could end up facing fines for the clash.
Floyd, who previously worked in animal welfare and now designs a line of jewelry where 10% of the proceeds are donated to animal charities, said she is happy the violation was issued over the “incredibly stressful” ordeal.
“I’m glad that people can’t just get away with hurting animals and not have to take any accountability, and I am glad that there is some justice for Knox,” Floyd, 40, told The Post. “Even if it is just a violation– it’s somewhat of a win for animal lovers and humanity in general.”
Still, the dispute is still under investigation, cops said — with fingerpointing and conflicting claims from Floyd and Morrison.
Floyd said that on Feb. 10 at around 2:50 p.m. she was walking 3-year-old Knox on West 70th Street and West End Avenue when Morrison – distracted on the phone – nearly knocked over her little pup.
“He was not looking at all where he was going,” Floyd told The Post shortly after the incident. “So he was about to step on my dog by accident, so I said, ‘Hey, watch out for my dog – you’re about to step on him.’”
That’s when Morrison looked at Jen, lifted his leg back and booted her little pooch, she said.
“He kicked him as hard as he can a few feet back,” Floyd said. “He’s like a 5-pound dog. His foot was bigger than my dog.”
Knox showed signs of pain and fear after the attack, the dog owner said.
“He was crying and screaming. I don’t even know how to replicate it. It was very traumatic,” Floyd claimed.
Floyd said she gathered her screaming pooch in one arm and held her cellphone with the other to confront Morrison about the attack.
“He turns around, and I start screaming, ‘what the hell’?” Floyd said.
“He’s basically like ‘My mom’s not feeling well. I have to get her medicine,’” Floyd said the tech worker told her.
Morrison filed his own complaint against Floyd the next day, alleging she started the fight by pushing him into the street and accusing him of almost stepping on her dog, according to cops and police sources.
The complaint then said that Floyd chased Morrison and pushed him into scaffolding where she “punched and kicked him in the face and body causing minor injuries.”
Floyd said she might have kicked Morrison back in the shin as a “reflex”, but denied she punched or kicked him in the face.
“I had a dog and a phone in my hand,” Floyd said. “I did tell cops that I kicked him after as a reflex, and I told them I am totally willing to take responsibility for my actions. But I don’t think the cops wanted to do anything to me.”
Surveillance video of the dog kick does not show Floyd pushing Morrison into the street first.
“His account of the story where I attacked him first is false,” Floyd said.
Video of Morrison taken by Floyd and posted to her social media shows the Ivy Leaguer looking stressed during the confrontation, but he didn’t confirm nor deny her version of events during the short video.
Morrison’s denied any wrongdoing through his lawyer.
“Eric denies engaging in any criminal activity or conduct in regards to this incident,” attorney Denis Patrick Kelleher told The Post.
The social media video, which generated nearly 30,000 likes on Instagram, activated an online mob who called for Morrison to lose his job.
A post on LinkedIn received 192 reactions and dozens of comments with many of the commenters tagging Google and advocating for Morrison to be fired.
“I’m just sure there’s a UX Manager laid off somewhere and they probably don’t abuse animals and maybe that’s a better fit. That’s all,” the poster wrote.
One commenter tagged Google and wrote: “Google fire this guy. Nobody deserves to work at a top tier tech company when they are willing to abuse animals.”
Floyd said she thinks Morrison’s employment status should be left up to the company.
“It’s really what kind of work environment they want to create and whether his coworkers want to work with someone like that,” Floyd said. “I feel like he clearly demonstrated some anger issues that are not under control, and I suspect that probably leeches into other aspects of his life.”
The Post has reached out to Google for comment.
As for Knox, Floyd said she took him to Florida to recuperate but seems to have recovered.
“He’s a little more timid, but he still is giving kisses,” Floyd said. “He’s a lover. He still loves to go up to strangers, and he thinks that everyone has a treat for him.”
