Suspected 'Cat Killer' Released On Bail, Sparking Protest In OC

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Roughly 100 people gathered Saturday, April 27, to protest the release of a man after he was arrested on suspicion of hurting and killing more than a dozen cats in Santa Ana, The Orange County Register reported.

The crowd began to gather at around 7 p.m. for a vigil outside the home of 45-year-old Alejandro Oliveros Acosta, who was arrested last week after Santa Ana Police detectives served a search warrant at his home and found more than a dozen carcasses, police said.

Acosta was arrested on suspicion of felony animal abuse last week, with his bail set at $20,000, according to court records.

According to the newspaper, photos of the vigil showed participants holding signs that read "Stop killing" and "Justice for the cats."

RELATED: Dozens Of Dead Animals Found In Home Of Man Suspected Of Stealing Neighbors' Pets

The Santa Ana man was arrested Wednesday, April 23 on suspicion of killing "dozens" of cats in the community and stealing an expensive Bengal Lynx cat from Westminster, police said.

Acosta was arrested after investigators received multiple calls over the past several weeks about cats being stolen and harmed. Several residents pointed to Acosta as a suspect, according to Officer Natalie Garcia of the Santa Ana Police Department.

Investigators searched Acosta's home in the 2300 block of West Wilshire Avenue, where they found evidence of "dozens" of dead cats, Garcia said. The number of pets killed was too numerous to estimate more specifically, she said.

The man is also suspected of abducting a Bengal Lynx cat, named Clubber, from the cat's home in Westminster on March 19, Garcia said.

According to police, the owner saw the suspect lure Clubber — possibly with food — before he snatched the feline and fled in a white pickup truck.

Garcia told Patch, police are investigating all claims about Acosta, including reports from neighbors who said he lured pets with food and used a syringe to inject them with a substance.

No further information was immediately available.