Man Pleads Not Guilty in Fatal Shooting of Dog in La Mirada

Man Pleads Not Guilty in Fatal Shooting of Dog in La Mirada

by Contributing Editor

A 23-year-old Lakewood man accused of fatally shooting a dog alongside a La Mirada street pleaded not guilty Tuesday to six felony charges.

Shane Michael Dubyak was arraigned at the Downey courthouse on one count each of cruelty to an animal; fleeing a pursuing peace officer while driving recklessly; possession of a controlled substance with a firearm, heroin and a revolver; and unlawful possession of ammunition; along with two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon.

Dubyak could face more than 14 years in prison if convicted as charged, according to prosecutors.

A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Jan. 28 in the Norwalk Courthouse.

Dubyak is accused of shooting the dog — a 15-year-old terrier named Artie that had been left in his care — around 12:45 p.m. Jan. 5 in the 16400 block of Phoebe Avenue. The shooting was captured on surveillance video.

According to sheriff’s officials, a witness told sheriff’s deputies the gunman got out of the passenger side of a white Jeep Grand Cherokee and placed something on the ground near a roadside gutter, then fired two shots. The gunman got back into the Jeep, and the driver sped off.

Deputies spotted the suspect Friday driving a black Kia Forte near Artesia and Pioneer boulevards in Artesia and attempted to pull him over, but he fled, triggering a chase that went through Cerritos. The suspect eventually abandoned his vehicle and tried to flee on foot, “but was quickly apprehended,” sheriff’s officials said.

A firearm thrown from the vehicle during the pursuit was later recovered, they said.

A woman suspected of driving the Jeep during the dog shooting was arrested but released pending further investigation, according to the sheriff’s department.

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All credit goes to Contributing Editor
Originally published on https://mynewsla.com