VANCOUVER -- Police in New Westminster are thanking members of the public who intervened to stop a man who was choking a puppy in their city Thursday afternoon.
The incident happened shortly before 2:30 p.m. in the parking lot at 1025 Columbia St., police said in a news release.
Police said they received several 911 calls reporting a man fighting with two people inside a vehicle, "while also hitting pets that were in the vehicle."
Officers arrived to find the suspect being held on the ground by a witness. Police say the suspect - a 27-year-old Coquitlam man - is accused of jumping through the window of a parked vehicle, in which two men and two dogs were waiting while another person ran an errand.
Once inside the vehicle, the suspect "began hitting and choking a puppy while the two occupants of the vehicle tried to get him to let go," police said.
Witnesses intervened to free the puppy from the suspect's grip and hold him down until officers arrived, according to police.
The puppy was taken to a nearby veterinary clinic for treatment and is now recovering, police said, adding that the dog's name is Luna.
Police said they have recommended three counts of assault and one count of injuring an animal against the suspect, who they arrested at the scene.
“An attack on a defenceless animal is a very upsetting thing to witness,” said New Westminster Police Department Acting Deputy Chief Paul Hyland in the release. “While generally we discourage people from involving themselves in risky physical confrontations, we thank the members of the public that leapt in to provide aid.”
Police are asking anyone who witnessed the incident to call them at 604-525-5411.
