A Ventura man convicted for killing dogs and injuring driver in hit-and … that killed two dogs and injured a motorist after he allegedly ran a red light, court records show. A jury found 37-year-old Leonardo Palofax guilty in connection with the Feb. 6, 2025, collision at the intersection of Thompson Boulevard and McMillan Avenue in Ventura.

According to court filings and an official incident summary released by investigators, the sequence was straightforward: a vehicle driven by Palofax entered the intersection against a steady red light, struck two dogs that were in the roadway and then struck another vehicle that was stopped at the signal. One occupant of the struck vehicle sustained injuries and was treated after the collision; the two dogs were killed.

Investigators located the truck Palofax had been driving after witnesses reported seeing a damaged vehicle leave the scene. Authorities say the vehicle had been abandoned nearby with its license plates removed and bore fresh front-end damage. Prosecutors noted visible dog hair on the damaged bumper area in filings, an element the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office cited during trial as linking Palofax to the animals struck in the intersection.

The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case and presented the evidence to a jury, which returned the guilty verdict. Officials have characterized the matter as a hit-and-run that combined traffic violations and harm to animals; court documents list charges tied to leaving the scene after causing injury or death as well as related traffic offenses.

California law treats leaving the scene after striking and injuring or killing an animal under the broader hit-and-run framework when property damage or human injury is involved. Penalties can range from misdemeanor fines and jail terms of roughly six to 12 months to felony-level fines — including penalties up to $10,000 — and longer incarceration for more serious cases that meet felony thresholds, according to state law and prosecutorial filings in the case.

Prosecutors emphasized the physical evidence recovered from the vehicle and witness accounts of the truck running a steady red light at the busy Thompson Boulevard intersection. The intersection is a well-traveled corridor in Ventura County, and the combination of signal violation followed by a collision with animals and another car formed the central facts the jury weighed in reaching its verdict.

While dog-related vehicle incidents draw public attention when they involve fatalities or serious injuries, they occur at much lower rates than overall vehicle accidents or other types of animal collisions. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration figures show 42,939 motor vehicle crash deaths in 2022 and about 6.10 million police-reported crashes in 2021; animal collisions, most commonly involving deer, have been estimated in the range of roughly 1.7 to 1.8 million insurance-reported incidents in recent years.

Defense arguments and sentencing details were addressed during the criminal proceedings; the jury’s guilty finding concludes the criminal phase of the matter in Ventura County. Sentencing dates and any additional civil actions were not included in the public court summary, though the conviction stands as the formal legal outcome for the events that unfolded on Feb. 6.

The DA’s office said the case was pursued through criminal court to hold the defendant accountable for both the traffic violation and the fatal injuries to the animals. The investigation relied on a combination of witness statements, physical evidence from the abandoned truck and the timeline established by law enforcement at the scene.

Public reporting on the case was first carried by local outlets; original coverage can be found at Keyt.

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Original reporting: view the original article.

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