An Orange County woman is facing federal criminal charges for allegedly luring a pit bull puppy underneath her minivan and running it over in an incident that was caught on video.
Animal services officers responding to a report of an injured dog in Santa Ana on Sept. 8 found 9-month-old pit bull, Blackey, dead on the street. A neighbor told officers that she believed a woman intentionally killed the puppy with a minivan and, after canvassing the area, police found a surveillance video that corroborated the report, according to Santa Ana Police spokesperson Natalie Garcia.
The video showed a woman emerging from a Honda Odyssey and laying kibble on the ground near the driver’s side door. She placed the puppy on the ground, where it rushed to eat the food, and then got back into the minivan and drove forward, pinning the animal under her back left tire for around 15 seconds.
The autopsy indicated that the puppy was alive for several minutes after the incident and was likely in severe pain before it died, the U.S. Attorney’s office wrote in a news release.
Hanh Minh Nguyen, 75, of Anaheim, on Thursday was charged with a felony count of animal crushing. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of seven years in federal prison.
“Luring a defenseless puppy with food only to crush him beneath a vehicle is an act of appalling cruelty,” said First Assistant U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli.
Nguyen was charged under a 2019 law that established a nationwide prohibition on animal crushing, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Orange County prosecutors also charged Nguyen with animal cruelty and animal abuse by a caretaker, both felonies, and a sentencing enhancement alleging the personal use of a weapon.
She was released from custody on $20,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court in Santa Ana on Nov. 2.
Times staff writer Clara Harter contributed to this report.
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