A 23-year-old Lakewood man accused of fatally shooting a dog alongside a La Mirada street was charged today with six felonies, including animal cruelty.
Shane Michael Dubyak is expected to be arraigned in Downey on single counts 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 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.
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, according to the sheriff’s department. A chase ensued that went through Cerritos, but 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, the department said.
A woman suspected of driving the Jeep Grand Cherokee during the dog shooting was arrested but released pending further investigation, according to the sheriff’s department.
Dubyak could face more than 14 years in prison if convicted as charged, according to prosecutors.