A 45-year-old Santa Ana man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of killing "dozens" of cats in Santa Ana and snatching an expensive Bengal Lynx cat from Westminster, police said.
Alejandro Oliveros Acosta was booked on suspicion of felony animal cruelty, according to Officer Natalie Garcia of the Santa Ana Police Department.
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Police have fielded multiple calls over the past several weeks about pet cats being snatched and harmed, Garcia said. Several residents pointed to Acosta as a suspect, she added.
Investigators searched his 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.
Acosta is also suspected of abducting a Bengal Lynx cat, named Clubber, from the feline's home in Westminster last month, Garcia said. That cat was reported stolen March 19.
The owner saw the suspect lure Clubber -- possibly with food -- before he snatched the feline and fled in a white pickup truck, police said.
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