A 30-year-old man of Bangladeshi origin has been identified and arrested after allegedly killing a 3-month-old dachshund puppy named Choko with an electric scooter in a park in the Italian city of Mestre, local police said Thursday.
The man, who was riding the scooter with a second person, faces charges of killing an animal, failure to render assistance, and multiple traffic violations, including operating without a helmet or license plate and carrying a passenger.
He faces up to three years in prison and a fine under Italian law for killing the woman’s puppy.
The incident occurred Monday afternoon around 2:30 p.m. in a park between Via Costa and Via Aleardi. The puppy, named Choko, was on a leash and was playing with a stick. At that point, the Bangladeshi struck the dog’s leash, sharply yanking the puppy, and then the rear wheel struck the dog’s neck. The female owner was also knocked to the ground with her dog.
Immediately afterward, the riders sped away from the scene without stopping to render aid.
Witnesses aided the owner and took her and the injured puppy to a veterinary clinic but Choko was already dead by the time they arrived.
The owner later said, “Choko for me was everything, and they killed her.”
🇮🇹🔴Police are hunting for a suspect in Rome who r@ped the cat Rosi, who remains in critical condition.
Rosi’s veterinarian has given an update on her status, which is improving but she is on her eighth day of hospitalization at the CVS veterinary clinic. Her situation remains very serious and the cat suffered severe intestinal damage.
Supporters have issued a request for a rare type B blood group for blood transfusions.
Italian police continue to review surveillance footage from the area, but no suspect has been publicly identified or arrested.
On April 3, a public march for Rosi, organized by LNDC Animal Protection, is scheduled at 3:30 p.m. at a park near the Vittorio Olcese school.
Now, there are warnings that the suspect may be a serial offender. Other cats from the same feral colony have reportedly gone missing, raising fears that Rosi may not be an isolated victim.
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) April 1, 2026Remarkably, she had adopted the puppy about a month earlier in an effort to overcome a fear of walking outside after she was assaulted in Mestre last year outside a cinema. Her father was also assaulted, strangled and robbed of his watch in the street in 2024. The nationalities of the suspects in both cases have not been released.
Police identified the Bangladeshi driver within hours after reviewing surveillance footage and reconstructing the scooter’s route. The dog owner had initially described the two riders as appearing North African based on their skin tone but said she was providing the detail only to help with identification. Later, police determined the main suspect was actually Bangladeshi.
Venice Mayor Simone Venturini condemned the incident and said the municipality is examining whether to join the case as a civil party. He also said controls on electric scooters would be increased.
“I express my firmest condemnation for what happened in Mestre. An episode that arouses deep indignation, not only for the loss of little Choko, but also for the behavior of the person who hit him and left without providing help. I therefore extend all my closeness to the young owner for the pain she is experiencing,” he stated.
He also wrote on X that the suspects had been apprehended without mentioning their nationalities.
Identificato e denunciato il responsabile della morte di Choko.
La piccola bassottina ha perso la vita l’altro giorno a Mestre dopo essere stata travolta con un monopattino. https://t.co/BWdsq9fRSe
— Simone Venturini (@SimonVenturini) November 5, 2026Italy has recently seen violence against animals from migrants in a broad range of cases, including instances where migrants were filmed killing and eating animals.
