A woman allegedly ran down a man on purpose as she believed he was trying to kill a cat.
Hannah Star Esser, 20, now faces murder charges after Luis Anthony Victor, 40, died as a result of his injuries following the incident on Sunday (September 25).
According to officials, the 20-year-old exited her vehicle and swore at Victor as she accused the victim of trying to run over the animal in Cypress, California.
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Authorities say that Victor attempted to converse with Esser, but she instead entered back into her car, made a three-point turn and drove in the direction of the 40-year-old.
Prosecutors at the Orange County District Attorney’s Office have claimed that Esser purposely accelerated towards Victor with such force that he was airborne.
Victor landed on the hood of the car with his body flipping several times before landing on the pavement where he was pronounced dead, according to authorities.
Kimberly Edds, spokesperson for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, said Esser may have accidently framed herself as she recorded the ordeal with Victor on her phone.
She added: “The circumstances leading up to the confrontation are still under investigation".
Esser is potentially facing 25 years to life in prison should she be convicted.
The controversy surrounding cats doesn't stop there as a three-year-old Persian cat was found tied up and brutally murdered here in Ireland last month.
Bella had vanished during a family barbecue in Ballynoe, near Castlelyons, Cork, and was gruesomely found hanging from a metal bar six miles from her home.
Finola O'Callaghan, Bella's owner, said: "I went down to identify her body, and I will forever be left with that image, I will never get it out of my head".
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