Animal cruelty

Have You Seen This SUV? Passenger Shoots, Kills Dog in La Mirada

PETA announced Wednesday it was offering a reward up to $5,000 to help nab the dog shooter.

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A dog was shot twice and left to die in a gutter Sunday in what may be one of the worst cases of animal cruelty caught on camera. Police now need help finding the people responsible. 

Security footage captured a white Jeep Grand Cherokee with distinctive black rims making a U-Turn on Phoebe Avenue just before 1 p.m. in an industrial area in La Mirada. 

The suspects pull up near the gutter and a man takes the dog -- a tiny terrier in a doggy bag -- out of the backseat.

He shoots. Then, the woman speeds away toward Firestone Boulevard, leaving Alex Csonka to make the terrible discovery.

“I can’t believe someone would actually do that — and not give it away to a shelter or put it down,” Csonka said. “And also, if they’re willing to kill the dog ... What were they willing to do to us?”

Csonka said the two loud pops, also captured on security footage, were unmistakable. 

“What I was thinking was, ‘Get behind, cover,’” Csonka said.

When he approached, Csonka saw the at least 15- or 16-year-old dog, shot twice and left to die.

“Why would someone do this?” he asked. Norwalk Sheriff’s detectives are asking the same question. 

They’re looking for the couple inside the SUV, which appears to be from the 2000s. 

Detectives believe the suspects are the dog’s owners and they’re hoping someone recognizes the vehicle.

PETA announced Wednesday it was offering a reward up to $5,000 to help nab the dog shooter.

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