Woman Arrested In Petaluma For Animal Cruelty And Resisting Arrest

PETALUMA, CA — Police arrested a Petaluma woman for animal cruelty involving a dog she is suspected of taking from the owner without permission.

Officers arrested Irma Suarez Lopez, 48, after a resident reported seeing a woman hitting and "violently" swinging a dog by its legs on Sept. 9, according to a report by the Petaluma Police Department.

Officers who responded to the report said they watched Suarez Lopez squeeze the dog "with significant force" while they questioned her.

When officers intervened, police said Suarez Lopez struggled with them and refused to comply with their orders.

They arrested her and booked her into the Sonoma County Jail for animal cruelty and resisting arrest.

Police placed the dog under the care of animal control.

Authorities later discovered that Suarez Lopez took the dog from its original owner without permission, according to the Petaluma Police Department.

"We are grateful to the community member who reported this activity, which allowed officers to intervene quickly and protect the animal," police said in a statement.

Police encouraged anyone who witnesses animal cruelty, or behavior that endangers the welfare of people or animals, to contact the department.