MELROSE—Los Angeles city officials are searching for four young women who tossed a dog out of a vehicle onto the Hollywood 101 Freeway.
Between the freeway’s, Santa Monica and Melrose exits, a 2000 Chrysler Sebring came to a complete stop in the congested traffic and left behind a small brown-and-white dog on the road. According to reports, the incident occurred on August 3 at around 2:35 p.m.
The dog, possibly a Terrier mix, was last seen navigating in-between moving cars on the 101. Ana Bustilloz of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles said that the suspects of the crime could face felony charges for intentional animal cruelty, a $20,000 fine and jail time.
In the state of California it is a misdemeanor to willfully abandon an animal under statute 597s. The statute exempts those who release or rehabilitate and release animals under the regulations of the California Department of Fish and Game.
Dumping animals on a highway can amount up to a $1,000 fine, 6 months in jail, or both, indicated the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
A heavily circulated photo of the suspects’ car, captured by a witness, displays the Chrysler with a black convertible top and license plate number of 6CXS845.
Anyone with information regarding the identity of the suspects or the location of the dog are asked to call the spcaLA Animal Cruelty Tipline at (800)540-SPCA or utilize the group’s animal cruelty reporting form at www.spcaLA.com.
