HARRISONBURG, Va. — On April 18, Harrisonburg Police Department responded to a hit-and-run near Lowe’s on Linda Lane. The following day, a social media post surfaced showing a man hitting a dog inside a parked pickup truck in the same area.
Through public tips and investigation by HPD Animal Control, 35-year-old David Joseph Liguori of Harrisonburg was identified as the suspect. Witnesses had tried to intervene, but the driver fled, hitting another vehicle while escaping.
Liguori was taken into custody without incident on Wednesday morning and charged with cruelty to animals, hit and run, and violating city ordinances prohibiting confinement of animals in vehicles.
The dog involved, named Ralphie, was taken by Harrisonburg Animal Care and Control to the Rockingham-Harrisonburg SPCA for veterinary evaluation.
