On Saturday morning, a 48-year-man with a lengthy criminal record chose an unusual place to abuse his dog: the lobby of the South Pasadena police station.
Christian Andrew Najera, yelling as he kicked a Chihuahua, was heard by on-duty police department records clerk Laura Mendez, who alerted a police dispatcher, according to the South Pasadena Police website. She then checked a surveillance video monitor and saw Najera kick the dog repeatedly and swing it around in the air by its leash several times.
Najera fled the station, but the records clerk and a police dispatcher followed him. He was later arrested for animal abuse.
According to South Pasadena police, Najera, who lives in Los Angeles, has numerous arrests and convictions for violent offenses.
South Pasadena Police Chief Arthur Miller told ABC 7, “It’s very hurtful when you see a completely innocent, probably a six or seven pound dog, getting abused like that. It does get to the core of our soul I think.”
Police Capt. Mike Neff said, “There was nothing to provoke him. He was by himself. It was unprovoked.” He added that the dog had no fractures and was expected to make a full recovery, according to KTLA. The dog was taken to the Pasadena Humane Society.
Photo: file