Dog Reportedly Dumped From Moving Car On 101 Freeway

UPDATE: The SPCALA says it has cleared the vehicle and its occupants initially reported for dumping the dog. As a result, it has deleted all references to that vehicle including its license plate number. CBSLA has updated the article below to remove references to the cleared vehicle and its occupants.

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A dog was spotted running in lanes on the busy 101 Freeway, and investigators are looking for anyone who may have dumped that dog in the middle of the road.

The disturbing sight happened last Friday at about 2:35 p.m., just as rush hour traffic was getting underway on the northbound 101 Freeway, between Melrose Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard in East Hollywood, according to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles.

SPCALA says witnesses reported seeing a a small brown-and-white dog, possibly a Terrier mix, thrown out of a vehicle onto the freeway.

Hours after posting an image of a car suspected in the dumping, the SPCALA said it had made contact with the vehicle's occupants and cleared them of wrongdoing.

"The car has been located, the occupants and third-party eyewitnesses have been interviewed, and the car and those occupants have been cleared," director of animal cruelty investigations Cesar said in a statement Friday afternoon.

The dog was last seen running south on the freeway between cars and has not been found by the California Highway Patrol or the SPCALA.

Anyone with information about the incident can contact the SPCALA's Animal Cruelty Tipline at (800) 540-SPCA (7722) or report it online at www.spcala.com.