A California man has been arrested and charged with luring multiple cats to their deaths — allegedly using food to trap them before beating them to death with a metal pole.

Alejandro Oliveros Acosta, 46, of Santa Ana, is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday on charges that also include theft of a companion animal.

According to prosecutors, several of the animals were tortured, and some belonged to neighbors who had been searching for their missing pets.

"Between November and April, seven reports of dead and injured cats were reported to Santa Ana Animal Control, including animals suffering from broken backs and bloody faces," the DA's office said.

This was not an accident. It was a premeditated pattern of cruelty.

Animal cruelty at this level isn’t just horrifying. Studies show that violent behavior toward animals can escalate into violence toward people.

This man must be held fully accountable.

We call on the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and the presiding judge to pursue and deliver the maximum sentence allowed under California law for felony animal cruelty.

Send a strong message that the justice system takes animal cruelty seriously and will not tolerate this level of violence!
 
Justice is not just for people — it’s for the most vulnerable among us.