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Vallejo veterinarian leaving town following brutal attack, police response

Vallejo veterinarian leaving town following brutal attack, police response
Vallejo veterinarian leaving town following brutal attack, police response 02:15

A brutal attack on a Vallejo veterinarian by a former client and the police response that followed have prompted her to close her business and move out of the area.

Dr. Sonia Amador says the attack happened earlier this month. She walked into a nail salon and was confronted by a former client. The confrontation quickly turned physical.

She shared surveillance footage of the incident showing her walking out of the store, followed by her attacker.

"The first thing she said in the nail salon was, 'You're the reason my cat died,'" said Amador. "I couldn't understand why she felt that way. She absolutely neglected this animal. She didn't seek any cardiologist or ER that I advised her."

The footage from outside the store shows the physical confrontation. 

"She just chased after me, started punching me, slapping me, kicked me," said Amador. "She's a much bigger person than me and she really had the upper hand."

Amador finally managed to get mace out of her purpose and spray her attacker. That gave her enough time to drive away. 

"Really hurt," she said. "That I could be so kind to somebody and help their pets out and they turn around and assault me? In no way did I deserve what she did to me."

Unfortunately, Amador says the story didn't end there. She claims she called 911, begging for help but was hung up on several times. 

"I called her back, the same 911 operator and I said, 'Why did you hang up on me?' And she said, 'I'm not going to put up with that kind of language.' And I said what, the word 'fat,' that's not a dirty word. And she hung up on me again."

The Vallejo Police Department is understaffed due to officers leaving and the same goes for the dispatch center. Amador says she just doesn't feel safe staying in Vallejo. 

"We decided to leave this town, I've had enough," she said.

We reached out to the police department but did not get a response. Amador says her attacker was never arrested and she is now contemplating pursuing a civil lawsuit.

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