Four police officers in Costa Rica appeared in court in San José this Wednesday, accused of killing a dog after running it over with their patrol cars. They could face sentences of up to three years in prison for the incident. At the courthouse entrance, several animal rights advocates were protesting as they awaited the arrival of the accused.
The incident occurred on August 9th in a neighborhood in the eastern part of the Costa Rican capital when the officers, in two police vehicles, were trying to exit a blocked street and ran over a dog lying on the pavement. Neighbors who were on the street witnessed the event. The officers did not stop or show concern for the animal’s condition. The incident was recorded by a security camera.
The Association for Animal Welfare and Protection filed a complaint against the officers, accusing them of animal cruelty and the death of an animal. “No one is above the law,” said the director of the association, Juan Carlos Peralta. He hopes the officers will be sentenced to prison “to send a message to animal abusers about the consequences they face.”
The officers were detained the day after the incident, administratively suspended from the Public Force (National Police), and are awaiting the court’s decision. In an interview published on the digital news outlet CRHoy.com, two of the officers claimed that “at no time did they notice the presence of the dog.”
They also denied, following unconfirmed public accusations, having returned to the scene to offer money to the neighbors who witnessed the incident in exchange for not reporting them. The Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ, judicial police) recreated the events at the scene last Friday at the request of the Prosecutor’s Office, which must present evidence in the hearing. The defense is also expected to present its arguments to advocate for the officers.
