Woman Runs Over Stranger After Assuming He Was Trying To Kill A Cat; Arrested For Murder

A California woman has been charged for intentionally running over a man because she thought he was trying to kill a cat, prosecutors said. Hannah Star Esser was arrested for the murder of 40-year-old Luis Anthony Victor near Oak Knoll Park in Cypress.

The fatal incident unfolded on Sept. 25 when Esser, 20, stopped her car after she saw a man, later identified as Victor, allegedly trying to run over a cat with his SUV, LA Times reported Wednesday.

Esser is said to have stepped out of her car, confronting Victor and yelling profanity at him as he too got out of his vehicle. Although Victor tried to speak to her, prosecutors said, Esser got back into her car and intentionally accelerated toward him, running him over.

The woman's car struck Victor so hard that he was launched into the air and initially landed on the hood and windshield of the car. His body then flipped several times before landing on the street, in front of the apartment building where he lived.

Victor was pronounced dead at the scene. The confrontation was recorded by Esser on her cellphone, which could prove her guilty in court, the NYPost reported.

"The circumstances leading up to the confrontation are still under investigation," Kimberly Edds, spokesperson for the Orange County District Attorney's Office, told the outlet.

District Attorney Todd Spitzer said Esser's actions showed "a complete disregard for human life."

"The Orange County District Attorney's Office will ensure that this random act of violence targeting a stranger will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Spitzer added.

Meanwhile, Victor's family remembers him as a "beloved father of five daughters, treasured son, brother, friend, and cousin." "This senseless act of violence has robbed the world of a bright light who will never be forgotten," the family said in a statement.

Esser is currently held on $1 million bail and is scheduled to be arraigned on Oct. 13. If convicted, she would face a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.