SOUTH-CENTRAL : 3 Youths Charged With Killing Dog

Three South-Central teen-agers were charged with felony counts of animal cruelty and arson Tuesday for allegedly setting a dog on fire, then beating it to death with metal poles.

The boys, two 16-year-olds and one 15-year-old who were not identified because of their ages, were arrested Aug. 31 in the Hyde Park area, said Los Angeles Police Sgt. Candace Shimizu of the 77th Street Station.

Officers were sent to the 1700 block of West 65th Street about 8:15 p.m. to investigate a report of animal cruelty. When they arrived, they saw the boys chasing the dog.

“At the time the police were called, the dog was on fire and being chased by the defendants down the street,” said Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office. “When the dog fell they also beat it and kicked it.”

The Rottweiler mix eventually fell over and died as the boys continued beating it, Shimizu said.

The youths were arraigned after spending the Labor Day weekend at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey. The 16-year-olds will have fitness hearings in the Compton courthouse Sept. 20 to determine if they will be tried as adults, Gibbons said. The 15-year-old will face a pretrial hearing on the same day.

One of the 16-year-olds and the 15-year-old have other cases pending, according to the district attorney’s office. The 16-year-old has been charged with two counts of robbery for attacks on two victims in separate incidents Aug. 6 and 15. The 15-year-old has a misdemeanor sexual battery case pending.