SGV Man Arrested For Allegedly Shooting Neighbor's Cat

COVINA, CA -- A 44-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty for allegedly shooting his neighbor's cat with a pellet rifle.

Matthew Beistel was arrested Wednesday in the 1200 block of West Badillo Street, according to the Covina Police Department.

In late February, a resident on that block noticed his family pet, a cat named Layla, was acting strangely and when he took the feline to a vet, an X- ray showed she had a pellet lodged in her neck, police said.

"Layla's owner reported ongoing issues with his neighbor (Beistel) over the years, one of which resulted in the court issuing an order protecting him from Beistel," according to a police statement. "On multiple occasions prior to Layla's reported injury, it had been reported to the Covina Police Department that Beistel was seen on his rooftop firing a pellet rifle, in violation of (municipal code), which ultimately led to the confiscation of the pellet rifle."

Detectives matched the pellets from the pellet rifle to Layla's X-rays and believe Beistel is responsible for causing the cat's injury, police said.

Beistel was being held at the Covina police jail with bail set at $20,000 and a Friday court appearance scheduled, police said.

-- City News Service, photo via Shutterstock