A dark parked just feet from where the attack took place on Muir near Acacia. That's where witnesses say they saw and heard Lorenzo Segundo beat a small Chihuahua-mix dog after it apparently walked up to his pit pull.
Neighbors did not want to go on-camera but say they heard the Chihuahua screeching as it was beaten repeatedly with a wooden board. "They're the ones that made the case in contacting law enforcement, letting them know what occurred," said William Novetzke with the Atwater Police Department.
Atwater Police were called out. When they got there, they found the dog's lifeless body dumped in a trash bin several feet from where the attack happened. "It was tough to see the dog injured the way it was," said Novetzke.
Police said the dog - believed to be a stray - likely died of head trauma.
Segundo was questioned and arrested at the scene, and it's not the first time he's accused of animal cruelty. He is listed as the primary suspect in another dog abuse case from last year. Segundo allegedly shot a neighbor's dog with a BB gun but no charges were ever filed because of lack of evidence.
Neighbors say the latest incident is heartbreaking.
Segundo has since bailed out of the Merced County jail. He faces felony animal cruelty charges.
