Tipster Receives $5,000 Reward From PETA for Help Bringing Long Beach Dog Abuser to Justice

For Immediate Release:
May 15, 2025

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

Long Beach, Calif. –

A good Samaritan will be collecting the $5,000 reward offered by PETA for helping the Long Beach Police Department identify and arrest the man caught on camera slamming a puppy to the ground outside Beacon Pointe Apartments in April.

The perpetrator, 28-year-old Alexander Cueva of Westminster, pleaded no contest to felony animal cruelty; he was sentenced to three years in prison and has been banned from owning a companion animal for at least 10 years. His victim was rescued and taken to Long Beach Animal Care Services—and now, renamed Rue, she is reportedly thriving in foster care, where she is recovering from her injuries, enjoying walks and rolls in the grass, and learning to trust kind people.

Footage captured by a private security camera showed Cueva swinging Rue over his shoulder, slamming her onto the ground, and kicking her in the face.

“It just takes one kind person to crack a cruelty case, and by coming forward, this tipster saved this dog from further abuse and gave her the bright future she deserves,” says PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange. “PETA encourages everyone to follow this person’s shining example and never be silent in the face of cruelty to animals.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.