A Santa Ana man accused of brutally harming and killing neighborhood cats failed to appear in court on Wednesday, prompting a judge to issue a warrant for his arrest.
Alejandro Oliveros Acosta, 46, faces serious charges including two felony counts of animal cruelty, one felony count of stealing a companion animal, and a misdemeanor for methamphetamine possession. He was scheduled to be arraigned at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.
If convicted, Acosta could face up to four years and four months in prison.
The investigation began in November 2024 after Santa Ana Animal Control received reports of dead and injured cats. These reports, some describing animals with broken backs and bloody injuries, continued through April 2025 across Santa Ana and Westminster.
Authorities documented at least seven incidents near West Wilshire Avenue and South Clara Street. One high-profile case in March involved a Bengal Lynx cat taken from a Westminster yard. Surveillance footage showed a man using what looked like a can of food to lure the cat before driving off in a white Toyota Tacoma. The cat was later returned following widespread social media attention, but the suspect remained unidentified at the time.
On April 3, a Santa Ana resident reported seeing a man—later identified as Acosta—pick up a cat and violently slam it to the ground. Animal Control recovered the dead animal.
Two days later, more disturbing footage surfaced. Surveillance video reportedly showed a man retrieving a cat from the bed of a white pickup truck, dropping it on the ground, and stomping on it. Authorities confirmed the man in the video was Acosta.
Acosta was arrested on April 24 in a joint effort by Santa Ana and Westminster police but was later released on bail, which is set at $50,000.
The investigation remains active. Anyone with additional information is urged to contact Santa Ana or Westminster police.
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