"Hunger Games" actress Jena Malone was part of a group of people who chased down a man who was openly abusing a small dog on the sidewalk and held him under a citizen's arrest until police arrived.
Malone, 37, was driving through Hollywood on Monday when she noticed the man repeatedly kicking a small white dog. The actress wrote on Twitter that the man was yanking the dog up in the air and choking the animal.
"I yelled at him to stop from my car but he wouldn't," she said. "I got out of my car to try and get the dog but he started running. So I started chasing him."
As Malone ran after the man, she looked back to see five other men behind her pursuing him, which she said "felt like a miracle."
"Cause at that point I really didn’t think I was going to be able to get the dog back by myself," she said. "So at this point I held back and let them take the lead as I have no business trying to restrain a full grown man."
Malone got back in her car and drove to where the man had been stopped, where she witnessed the "tail end of a heated fight." The violent brawl was captured on video released by NBC Los Angeles.
"I pulled over to make sure that dog was going to be cared for. I didn't see the brawl but I was told that the man did not give up the dog without a fight," she said. "I'm sorry that it ended in a brawl but the dog was going to die. No question. I can't imagine the level of torture it had suffered until this point."
Malone said she waited with the dog until an officer came to retrieve him.
"The dog was covered in filth and looked like it had been not taken care of for months," the "Stepmom" star said.
The dog was taken to the hospital where doctors determined he had a fractured rib, fractured paw and bone breaks in its hind legs, Malone said.
The dog had a microchip and has since been reunited with his owner. His name is Champion and had been missing for a week, Malone said. While he's home, the road to recovery will be long.
"His multiple surgeries will be a lot for the owner to take care of alone," Malone said, sharing a link to a GoFundMe account. As of Thursday, more than $10,000 had been raised for Champion's care.
As for the suspect, identified as the son of the dog's owner, he was reportedly arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty.
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