Santa Ana Police Seek Driver Caught on Video Deliberately Running Over 9-Month-Old Puppy

A Honda Odyssey minivan became the instrument of a deliberate killing on a Santa Ana street last month, and investigators are now asking the public to help identify the woman behind the wheel.

Surveillance footage recovered by the Santa Ana Police Department shows a female driver luring a 9-month-old black-and-white pit bull mix with kibble before accelerating over the animal. The recording, captured at 9:15 a.m. on Sept. 8 near the 900 block of West Park Lane, was released publicly this week after detectives determined the vehicle’s license plate was unreadable in the clip.

The sequence documented by the camera begins with the woman stepping out of the minivan parked at 926 W. Park Lane. She scatters dog food directly adjacent to the driver’s side door and places the puppy on the pavement. As the animal focuses on eating, she reenters the Honda Odyssey, shifts into drive, and moves forward. The footage shows the rear left tire rolling over the puppy and remaining stationary on top of the animal for approximately 15 seconds. She then turns northbound onto Lowell Street, leaving the fatally injured dog on the roadside.

Animal Services officers responded to the scene later that day after receiving reports of the dead pit bull mix. A neighbor who witnessed portions of the event alerted authorities that the act appeared intentional, prompting the canvass that ultimately located the security camera recording.

Deliberately crushing an animal under a vehicle elevates the act beyond standard misdemeanor cruelty statutes. Under California Penal Code Section 597, maliciously and intentionally maiming, mutilating, torturing, or killing a living animal constitutes a felony. Convictions carry up to three years in county jail or state prison, fines reaching $20,000, and mandatory psychological counseling. Judges frequently impose lifetime bans on owning or residing with animals for offenders convicted under this statute.

California prosecutors have increasingly pursued maximum penalties in vehicular animal cruelty cases. In 2024, a San Diego County man received a two-year state prison sentence after intentionally running over a 17-year-old Bichon Frise mix named Benny during a road rage dispute. That sentencing reflected a broader shift in how district attorneys handle animal abuse involving motor vehicles, treating them as violent felonies rather than property crimes.

Pit bull mixes remain disproportionately targeted in animal abuse incidents nationwide. Advocacy organizations tracking cruelty data consistently report that breeds associated with fighting rings or perceived as aggressive face higher rates of both neglect and intentional violence compared to other dogs.

Detectives handling the Santa Ana case have not confirmed whether the suspect owned the puppy or if the animal belonged to someone else in the neighborhood. The relationship between the driver and the dog remains a central focus of the ongoing investigation.

Anyone with information identifying the woman or the specific Honda Odyssey involved is urged to contact the Santa Ana Police Department at (714) 245-8378.