Mugger kills dog after robbing woman

SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco police were asking for the public's help in finding a mugger they say robbed a woman and killed her small dog by throwing the animal into a city street.

The woman - who has not been named - pulled her car over Friday evening on a street in the city's Tenderloin district Friday so she could find her cellphone, when a man came up to her and demanded money, police said.

After giving the man her money, the mugger grabbed the woman's 12-year-old, 18-pound Pekingese named "Roxie" and hurled the dog onto the street, said police spokesman Officer Gordon Shyy.

Witness Michael Colbruno told KTVU-TV that he saw the woman and the mugger struggling, when the mugger threw the dog onto the street.

"Literally he just slammed it under this moving car," Colbruno told the station.

The dog died after being taken to an emergency veterinary hospital. Investigators were hoping tips from the public would lead them to the suspect.

"It's unusual, it's unfortunate. Robberies are common, but usually the suspect takes what he wants, which is usually cash, and leaves," Shyy said of the incident.

Police did not say how much money the mugger stole from the woman.