Surveillance Video and License Plate Readers Lead to Arrest of 75-Year-Old Accused of Running Over Her Puppy in Santa Ana

A 75-year-old woman is in custody after investigators used automated license plate readers and neighborhood surveillance footage to link her to the deliberate killing of a 9-month-old pit bull in Santa Ana, California.

Hahn Nguyen was arrested Thursday at an Anaheim residence and booked into Santa Ana jail on suspicion of animal cruelty and animal abandonment. The Santa Ana Police Department confirmed that Nguyen admitted to owning the puppy, named Blackey, and acknowledged leaving the dog at a park because it had been chewing on her boyfriend’s shoes and belongings.

While Nguyen told her boyfriend she believed the dog had been struck by a vehicle, she did not initially confess to driving the car herself, according to department spokesperson Natalie Garcia.

The investigation began Sept. 8 when Animal Services officers responded to the 900 block of West Park Lane after finding the puppy dead. A neighbor reported seeing a woman intentionally kill the animal with a minivan. Detectives canvassing the area recovered surveillance video from a camera near 926 W. Park Lane that captured the incident at approximately 9:15 a.m.

The recording shows a woman exit a Honda Odyssey, scatter kibble on the ground near the driver’s-side door, and place the puppy on the pavement. As the dog moves toward the food, the woman reenters the minivan and drives forward, pinning the animal beneath the rear left tire for roughly 15 seconds before driving northbound on Lowell Street and leaving the fatally wounded dog behind.

Because the license plate was unreadable in the footage, police released the video publicly Wednesday to solicit tips. Behind the scenes, detectives relied on automated license plate reader technology—a network of high-speed cameras mounted on traffic signals, patrol vehicles, and fixed poles that log plate numbers alongside GPS coordinates and timestamps. By cross-referencing ALPR data with the time and location of the incident, investigators identified the Honda Odyssey and traced it to two addresses in Anaheim and Fountain Valley.

Officers located the minivan parked inside a garage at the Anaheim home Thursday morning and took Nguyen into custody.

Under California Penal Code Section 597, animal cruelty is classified as a “wobbler” offense, meaning prosecutors can pursue either misdemeanor or felony charges depending on the severity of the act and the defendant’s history. A felony conviction carries up to three years in county jail and fines reaching $20,000. Animal abandonment is charged as a misdemeanor. The Santa Ana Police Department is currently presenting the case to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office for formal filing consideration.

California courts have increasingly treated intentional vehicular attacks on animals as serious felonies rather than minor infractions. In 2024, a San Diego County man received a two-year prison sentence after deliberately running over and killing a 17-year-old Bichon Frisé mix named Benny during a road rage dispute.

The Santa Ana Police Department credited public engagement and technological tools for the rapid resolution of the case, noting that investigative leads generated through ALPR systems were instrumental in identifying the suspect within weeks of the animal’s death.