By Jorge Casuso

April 14, 2025 -- The owner of a pit bull that fatally mauled a toy poodle near Main Street on Friday evening will not likely be arrested if he is found, police officials said Monday.

Efforts by Santa Monica police to identify the owner of the gray and white pit bull have been widely publicized since the incident took place near Main and Strand streets at around 5:30 p.m.

"People are asking when we are going to make an arrest," said Lt. Lewis Gilmour, the Police Department spokesperson.

"There's nothing we can arrest the owner for, only if we can confirm a human was bit," Gilmour said. "We're trying to sort that out."

Barring serious injury, the incident falls under a misdemeanor-level offense that is being actively investigate by Animal Control, Gilmour said adding that "we wouldn't take someone to jail on that."

Such offenses could include "municipal code violations related to leash laws, failure to control a dangerous dog, or failure to provide identifying information following a dog bite," according to police

"If it's confirmed that a human was also bitten, additional state code sections may be considered," police said.

"Beyond any potential criminal enforcement, civil consequences may also come into play depending on what the impacted parties choose to pursue," officials said.

According to Santa Monica Police, during the "tragic" incident, "a small toy poodle sustained fatal injuries after being bitten by the pit bull."

"The poodle’s owner also received a bite wound while attempting to intervene," police officials said.

"In the interest of public safety and animal welfare, we urge the pit bull’s owner -- or anyone who knows them -- to please come forward and contact us immediately," police said.

The Police Department released a video clip of the individual and dog involved, while the owners of the 11-year-old toy poodle named Dublin have posted signs across the city, according to media reports.

The owners, Christopher Dietrick and Alyssa Kluge, said they were walking Dublin back to their house and were about a block and a half away when the incident took place.

"This is a walk we take three times a day, it's in our neighborhood," Dietrick told Fox 11 News. "We're walking home with Dublin and as we were walking, a man was not paying attention.

"He was leaned into a passenger side window of a car and his pit bull mix lunged across us, got a hold of our Dublin," said Dietrick, who told the station he was also bitten when he tried to intervene.

"Dublin ended up not making it, and the man got up and took his dog and took off running," he said.

"He died in my arms," Kluge told MSN. "I've had him since he was nine weeks old, named him Dublin cause I got him on St. Patrick's Day.

"He is our son and losing a pet is horrific, obviously, but in the violent way that we experienced it, it feels like it's going in the back of my eyelids, that's all I can see."

Klug told Fox News the pit bull's owner was a "coward" who failed to control his dog.

"He had a responsibility to hold that pit bull tight, to hold him and pay attention, and he did not," Klug said. "We had our Dublin on a leash. He had his dog on a leash. He was not paying attention."

Anyone with information about the incident should call Santa Monica Animal Control at (310) 458-8595.