Reward grows to catch road-rage driver who killed dog

Sara McBurnett and her dog, Leo

Donations top those in rape, child abuse cases

March 8, 2000
Web posted at: 12:10 p.m. EST (1710 GMT)

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From staff and wire reports

SAN JOSE, California (CNN) -- The road-rage death of a little dog has generated what police say is an unprecedented outpouring of donations to a reward fund, to be offered to catch the man who threw the dog into traffic.

VIDEO CNN's Rusty Dornin talks with the dog's owner and to people offering the reward. Windows Media 28K 80K     MESSAGE BOARD Animal cruelty

Since Leo, a curly-haired white 10-year-old Bichon Fris, was pulled from his owner's lap, tossed into three lanes of traffic, and crushed by a car last month in San Jose, California, police say they have been inundated with tips.

A Web site (http://interstice.com/leo/) set up on Leo's behalf had received more than 28,000 hits by Wednesday morning and the reward fund had grown to $40,000, an amount police say tops previous sums offered in child molestation and rape cases.

"That's shocking in itself," said Howard Johnson with the San Jose Police Department. "This is a lot bigger than the average case."

But Leo's owner, Sara McBurnett, says she still cannot believe what happened.

The Santa Monica Humane Society has been flooded with donations

McBurnett told police she was on her way to pick up her husband at San Jose International Airport on February 11 when a large black truck cut her off. She said she was unable to stop her station wagon and she hit the truck's rear bumper.

She said she rolled down her window as the man driving the truck came to her car, yelling at her. About that time, Leo jumped into her lap. McBurnett said the man reached in and grabbed Leo.

"Then he turned and threw him into the opposite oncoming lanes and I watched a car run right over him," she said.

Leo died later at a veterinary hospital.

"I was too shocked to function," McBurnett said. "Now I keeping having flashbacks. And remorse. Why did I open the window? Why did I go back to put the car in gear? I still cry at least once an hour."

San Jose police are investigating Leo's death as a case of animal cruelty. Based on information provided by McBurnett and other witnesses, they believe the suspect was driving a dark-colored Ford Explorer with Virginia license plates.

The Washington Post newspaper reported in Wednesday's edition that investigators have been organizing a photo line-up of suspects in the case using Virginia drivers' licenses.

The Post reports police have a partial license plate number from the suspect's vehicle.

Correspondent Rusty Dornin and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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