The fatal police shooting in 3-year-old Belgian Marinoa, named Max, has sparked widespread outrage in Santa Ana, who, together with Santa Ana’s owner, Ruth Vega and community advocates, is calling for transparency, accountability and policy reform from the Santa Ana Police Department.
According to Vega, officers shot Max four times and hit him with a baton after the dog escaped the family’s property while police responded to a domestic conflict at his Orange Avenue home on July 30. Vega said Max never showed any indication of an attack and believes the officers overreacted out of fear.
“Max was very playful,” Vega said. “He loved his kids. He was always around them. He was hyper, happy, twitching, curious. He was never known to bite anyone or be aggressive with anyone.”
Santa Ana Police claims that the officers involved were fired in self-defense after being “attacked by a dog.” However, Vega disputed the claim, saying that the officers misjudged Max’s actions.
“It feels like they probably felt threatened,” Vega said. “Maybe they were scared because my dog was a big dog. But they didn’t give us the chance to let the dog inside – they just started shooting him.”
The night of the incident, officers arrived and left the vehicle as they responded to reported domestic obstruction. The gates in his home’s driveway remain open, and security videos show Max running away towards the officers. Within seconds the shot was fired.
“He just ran away and they shot him,” Vega said. “They didn’t wait or warn us. They didn’t let us step in.”
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Santa Ana Police Department has not released body camera footage. The department initially said the dog was expected to survive without life-threatening injuries. However, the family says it was wrong – and Max was clearly seriously injured.
After the first round of the shooting, Vega says Max escaped over the street and hid under the car. He stayed there until he heard her.
“After he heard me, he came out and started running towards the corner,” she recalled. “That’s when they shot him again.”
Santa Ana Police have since told KTLA there were no second round shootings, but witnesses and Vega have insisted they weren’t. At least one witness reportedly observed Max being hit by the baton while he was injured.
“He was hurt, he was bleeding – that’s true,” Vega said. “They carried him with sticks so that he wasn’t alive.”
Vega said the officer threatened to use Taser on her as he tried to approach Max. Bystanders are also said to have been told to stop recording the video and return home.
Police carried Max out of the scene and took him to Irvine Veterinary Hospital. However, Vega said she wasn’t told where her dog was taken and that she had spent hours calling the emergency clinic before finding him at about 12:06am more than three hours after the first shooting.
When she arrived she was told that Max was brought in with a gunshot wound and that officers had claimed that the dog was in a stable state.
“That was a lie,” Vega said. “If he survived, he was going to amputate his front legs. They said later he would lose both legs.”
Vega and her partner Mario were not allowed to see Max until the next afternoon. It’s almost 14 hours later. By then, veterinarian staff said the extent of his injuries made euthanasia the most humane option. Devastated, they decided to put him there.
“He was only three years old,” Vega said. “He spent his whole life before him. That’s my dog. He’s part of the family. Why did they have to do that?”
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Vega currently wants a formal investigation and hopes that Santa Ana PD will reevaluate the force use protocol involving animals.
“I want them to be accountable for what they did,” she said. “They didn’t have to shoot that many times. If there’s justice for dogs that are police officers, why are our dogs not justice?”
Julie Capacete, a family friend who helps Vega collect witness statements, called the department’s response disproportionate.
“I understand why they first responded,” said Kapassete. “But as soon as the dog started to run away, he knows he was trying to escape from those trying to hurt him.”
She said, “We didn’t need a second shot. The dog was already trying to escape in the opposite direction. He was just trying to get back to his owner.”
“What they did was overpowering – it was very unnecessary,” said Kapassete. “It was completely avoidable. We want justice for him.”
The family has contacted PETA (people for the ethical treatment of animals) and is currently reviewing the incident. The hashtag #JusticeFormax is distributed online as supporters are being reported for independent surveillance and departmental reform.
Santa Ana Police Department has not issued a follow-up statement or responded to requests for additional comments.
This article includes a report by Sara Welch.
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