Los Angeles authorities Tuesday promised to fully investigate and prosecute animal abusers after more than 25 animal cruelty cases were filed in LA County over the past six weeks.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, along with LA County Sheriff Robert Luna as well as officials from the Los Angeles and Long Beach Police Departments, said they were committed to holding abusers accountable while protecting animals during a news conference, saying cruelty against animals is a “red flag.”
“It’s often a gateway indicator that if you can do this type of cruelty to an animal, the next step is you’re going to do this type of cruelty to humans,” Hochman said.
Among the charged is 28-year-old Esteban Garcia, who is accused of dropping a 5-year-old Bulldog named Adriana on the head before kicking her and throwing her into a stack of tires in the Florence neighborhood of South LA. Surveillance video footage from April 7 showed that Garcia left the dog, who also had illegal drugs in her system, die.
Fortunately, Adriana was rescued, and she’s now recovering under the care of a foster family.
Garcia could face up to three years in county jail, Hochman said.
“It’s not often you get to pet one of the surviving victims,” the district attorney said during the news conference, while introducing the dog. “Adriana, we’re going to do the best we can on this one to bring you justice.”
But not all animals were as lucky as Adriana. Hope, a Corgi Chihuaua mix, was hanged and struck on the head with a crowbar by one of the family members in La Verne. Blaise Prymmer, 23, later told police he killed Hope because of her barking.
If convicted, Prymmer could get three years in county jail.
“We will not tolerate the abuse of defenseless animals,” LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said. “If you witness or suspect cruelty, report it to local law enforcement immediately.”
The LAPD, which lost the animal cruelty task force in 2021 due to funding issues, is treating animal cruelty cases as seriously as other criminal cases, according to Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton.
“We investigate these cases in a manner that lead to the successful arrests and prosecutions of the alleged suspects.,” Hamilton said. “We continue to provide training to our personnel in understanding the complexity of such investigations to ensure successful District and City Attorney filings.”
Source: NBC Los Angeles
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