A violent group of angry California residents decided to take it upon themselves to track down an alleged serial cat killer and attack his home – before they realized they were at the wrong house.
The group of Santa Ana residents had met on Sunday night at a vigil to honor the cats killed in recent weeks – but soon became violent as they decided to track down 45-year-old suspect Alejandro Oliveros Acosta’s house, according to Fox News.
Residents have claimed he used a needle to inject a substance into one of their cats, as another neighbor claimed they found their cat hanging from a tree.
Acosta has since allegedly confessed to the crimes, but he was bonded out of custody and was released from jail on Thursday.
The neighbors were then left in uproar, and on Sunday night a mob formed around a house across from Acosta’s home, that they believed belonged to his brother.
Terrifying footage from the scene showed the crowd demanded Acosta come out to face them as they broke down windows and held signs displaying photos of their still-missing felines.
Some even allegedly pepper-sprayed the man who lives at the house as children watched inside in horror.
That man, though, told Fox 11 that he is not Acosta’s brother – but that the alleged cat killer is related to his brother-in-law. He added that he had not seen or heard from Acosta since his arrest, and Fox 11 reports that Acosta is not even back in the neighborhood.
Another family member inside the home said they knew nothing about Acosta’s alleged crimes and were left terrified by the mob outside.
‘The peaceful protesting wasn’t so peaceful,’ the unidentified victim said. ‘They’re scaring kids here. It’s scaring the whole family. There are kids – seven kids in this house, two little babies, one that is autistic.’
Right outside, the victim said, the unruly crowd broke down their fence and pepper sprayed ‘us for no reason.’
It took more than an hour for cops to arrive on the scene and declared the violent demonstration an unlawful assembly, Fox 11 reports.
But even then, the crowd continued to chant outside the house and accused residents of collaborating with the alleged cat killer.
It remains unclear whether anyone was arrested in the demonstration, but Santa Ana police vowed to hold people accountable for their actions in a post on Monday.
‘Last night, during a vigil related to this case, several individuals became unruly, vandalized property and threw objects in a neighborhood,’ the police department wrote on X.
‘While we support the community’s right to peacefully assemble, the Santa Ana Police Department will not tolerate acts of violence, vandalism or any threats to public safety.’
‘Any damage to life or property will have consequences, and those engaging in criminal behavior will be held accountable,’ the police continued.
‘We appreciate the community’s cooperation and patience as this case moves through the legal system.’
Meanwhile, Acosta is continuing to face felony charges relating to animal cruelty.
Police have said they received multiple reports over the past few weeks about a man luring cats to and around his property – where he would then harm or kill them.
Officers are still working to determine just how many cats Acosta may have killed, they told KTLA.
Acosta was ultimately arrested Wednesday morning, after authorities found more than a dozen carcasses on his property, the Orange County Register reports.
He was then booked into jail with a bail set at $20,000, which he quickly paid.
‘When he was arrested, there were dozens of dead cats at his house,’ said Meredith Kirby, an organizer with OC Community Cats. ‘That he was released so quickly is a travesty.’
But police noted that ‘the right to bail is protected under the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution.’
It said that anyone arrested in California ‘may post bail on predetermined bail schedules… for certain offenses’ and that a judge can change bail conditions at an arraignment.
