Police in Orange County are investigating a series of disturbing reports about cats being taken and possibly killed in a neighborhood near Santa Ana.
On Tuesday, the Santa Ana Police Department addressed the case on social media, saying, “We are aware of a viral animal cruelty case involving cats in the area of Sullivan Street and McFadden Avenue.”
Local residents have reported a man who they believe is responsible for the disappearances and deaths of several cats in the area.
“There have been multiple incidents of cats being killed in our community, and residents are deeply concerned,” said one viewer, who shared images of the suspect from the Nextdoor app with KTLA.
One post described seeing the man grab a neighborhood cat around 5 p.m. on Shelton Street near McFadden Avenue. “We saw our cameras and this guy just grabbed a neighborhood cat, seemed like he tied his legs up and took him. The cat is black with light brown spots,” the post read.
Another resident claimed that the suspect injected a cat with a substance, which later led to its death. “Hello! I’m near El Salvador Park, and my neighbor’s cat was killed by a man who injected it with some sort of substance,” the post said. The individual described the suspect as wearing a reflective vest and feeding the cat to lure it closer.
The man’s appearance closely matches that of a suspect in a similar cat theft incident in Westminster last month, though it’s unclear if the two cases are connected.
Surveillance footage from March 21 shows a man taking a 10-month-old Bengal Lynx cat named Clubber. The cat was later returned to its home, but the suspect was never identified or caught.
Related Topics
