A 45-year-old Southern California man accused of intentionally running over his estranged wife’s Chihuahua named Cow Cow was charged with animal cruelty on Thursday, prosecutors said.
Michael David Parker, of Sherman Oaks, was arrested in January on suspicion of killing the dog and placing it in a trash bag, police said.
Investigators acquired a surveillance video from an alley near El Segundo Boulevard and Doty Avenue. Prosecutors accuse Parker of taking the dog to the alley to run it over.
In the video a man can be seen getting into a dark-colored car as the small dog makes its way into the front of the vehicle. The man backs up in the vehicle before accelerating directly toward the 5-year-old Chihuahua.
Parker was later identified as the suspect in the video and was arrested at his work.
Parker’s charges also include animal neglect. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
