To commit a crime is bad enough, to kill the victim's little pet -- it's a case that's incomprehensible even to police officers who have seen it all.
"In helping to solve this crime would be a reward within itself in helping the victim bring closure to this case," Ofc. Carlos Manfredi said.
Manfredi showed ABC7 News the security camera video of the assailant after he reportedly killed the 12-year-old Pekingese named Roxie. The video is short but Manfredi hopes someone will recognize the man and call police. He calls it a "terrible senseless crime."
"Any person who owns an animal, you can tell there's a tight bond and for not only for the animal to be laid to rest but to see the death of your own animal is very traumatic," Manfredi said.
Traumatic, senseless, horrific -- no word can adequately describe the loss felt by Roxie's owner, who spoke to ABC7 News but did not want her identify revealed for fear of retaliation by her attacker. It happened when the woman was driving in the Tenderloin on Friday. She stopped her car to look for her misplaced phone. She went to the passenger side of her car. Roxie was in the front seat. The assailant suddenly grabbed her by her jacket.
"Rifled through her clothes, stole some money, noticed there was a dog that was barking inside on the passenger seat," Manfredi said.
"He looked at me with a blank look on his face and he said, 'I'm going to kill your f***ing dog,'" the victim said. "He put Roxie over his head and threw her into oncoming traffic."
Roxie had to be put to sleep because her injury from being thrown was so severe.
An account has been set up for people who want to contribute to a reward being offered for information leading to the suspect's arrest: Roxie the dog reward, c/o Gateway Bank, 919 Clement St., SF CA 94118.
