Justice for Freckles! Cops run over woman's dog on PURPOSE then give her a citation

Las Vegas woman Sarah Hecht, 22, claims a police officer intentionally ran over her dog, Freckles, after it escaped from her backyard on May 21

She rushed to the vet but had to put down the 45-pound Australian shepherd hybrid because of his injuries

She was cited for having an unrestrained dog

Hecht held a rally on Thursday protesting against the police department's treatment of animals before she was dismissed her charge

A Las Vegas woman is outraged after a police officer allegedly ran over her beloved dog, Freckles, with his two-ton cruiser on purpose then cited the family for having him unrestrained.

Sarah Hecht, 22, said the cop told her he intentionally ran over the animal after it escaped from her backyard on May 21 and was running toward a group of children playing.



She rushed the wounded pet to the vet but had to put down the 45-pound Australian shepherd hybrid because of the injuries he suffered.

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Angry: Sarah Hecht, 22, pictured, is furious after she claims police ran over her dog Freckles, pictured, killing it

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Freckles was a birthday gift Hecht received after getting straight As in high school.



Devastated, the woman staged a rally at the Regional Justice Center on Thursday protesting canine killings by Las Vegas police.

Around a dozen people showed up and shouted 'Justice for Freckles' as they called for enhanced training for officers dealing with animals.



Hecht was overcome with emotion while speaking of Freckles who she claims was like a child to her.



'I don't have children. He was my son,' she said.

Heartbroken: Hecht, pictured left and right with Freckles, said the dog was like her son

According to the Las Vegas Review Journal , an officer told Hecht he purposefully ran over the dog after he noticed it running towards the play area.



The dog was dragged along the street by the police car, but survived. However, once at the vet, Hecht made the difficult decision to euthanize the animal.



While she was there, her father was cited for having an unrestrained dog.



Hecht claims Freckles escaped her backyard after he was taunted by neighborhood children and she insists the dog would never hurt anyone and had no history of biting humans.



Rally: Hecht and about a dozen others held a protest on Thursday calling for police to be better trained in their handling of animals

Justice: The group held placards calling for 'Justice for Freckles'

Following the protest on Thursday, Hecht wept before Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Karen Bennett-Haron.



She explained what had happened to the dog and said she was broke after forking out $1,000 to try and save her 'son's' life.



Bennett-Haron and prosecutors quickly agreed to dismiss the charges, the Review Journal reported.



The citation wasn't the first for the Hecht family regarding Freckles. The 22-year-old has been cited twice in the past for animal code violations, including not obtaining a permit or sterilizing her dogs.



Court records show both matters were also dismissed. The police department refused to comment to the Review Journal on the matter because an investigation is still ongoing.

Run over: Poor Freckles, pictured left and right, was put down after he was hit by the two-ton cruiser

Let off: The judge dismissed the charges against Hecht, pictured