Man Indicted Over Dog’s Death During Road Rage Incident

SAN JOSE —  A Santa Clara grand jury indicted a man Thursday in a bizarre road rage incident last year in which a dog was killed when it was yanked from a woman’s car and tossed into traffic.

Andrew Burnett, 27, who was being held in jail in an unrelated case, was charged with killing or maiming or abusing an animal, a felony punishable by up to three years in prison.

The dog, a 10-year-old bichon frise named Leo, was killed Feb. 11, 2000. The dog was grabbed from the lap of owner Sara McBurnett after her car bumped another vehicle near San Jose International Airport.

McBurnett was driving to the airport when, she said, a large black truck cut her off. She said she was unable to stop in time to avoid tapping the rear bumper.

Damage was minimal, but a man jumped out of the truck and began berating her, McBurnett said. When she rolled down her window, he reached inside and grabbed Leo, throwing the dog into three lanes of oncoming traffic.