A 75-year-old Orange County woman named Hanh Minh Nguyen is facing federal charges after authorities say she lured her 9-month-old pit bull puppy under her minivan and intentionally ran him over.
The defendant was charged Thursday by the U.S. Department of Justice with animal crushing, a federal felony punishable by up to seven years in prison.
The incident took place in September, when local authorities were alerted to a dead black-and-white pit bull puppy found in the 900 block of West Park Lane in Santa Ana. Investigators suspected the animal had been deliberately struck.
Surveillance footage obtained during the investigation captured a woman in a Honda Odyssey minivan opening the vehicle door and letting the puppy out. After the dog crawled beneath the vehicle, the driver dropped what appeared to be food near the driver’s side door to lure the puppy closer to the wheels.
“When the driver moved forward, the puppy was run over by the rear driver’s-side wheel,” federal authorities said in a statement. “The driver stopped the car, and the vehicle remained on top of the puppy for approximately 15 seconds before driving away.”
A necropsy determined that the puppy, named Blackey, died from traumatic brain injury.
“The necropsy indicated that the puppy was alive for several minutes after this traumatic incident and that he suffered severe pain before dying,” according to the Department of Justice.
Following the release of the video, law enforcement identified and arrested Nguyen, who admitted she was the owner of the 9-month-old puppy.
Alongside the federal charges, Nguyen faces state-level felony animal cruelty charges in Orange County Superior Court, where she is being prosecuted by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
