Winters police arrested an unhoused woman early Monday on suspicion of animal cruelty, the department said.
Officers responded at 6:21 a.m. to the 700 block of Matsumoto Lane after receiving a report of a woman “choking and beating a dog” in a parking lot near a Starbucks, police said.
When they arrived, they found the woman, identified as a 25-year-old transient, barricaded in an SUV with six dogs. The woman allegedly threatened officers, saying she had a weapon, the department said in a social media post.
Officers requested help from the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office. After 30 minutes, the woman exited the SUV but allegedly resisted when officers tried to detain her, police said.
The woman was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor animal cruelty and resisting an officer, Winters police said.
Yolo County Animal Services Shelter took custody of the six dogs to evaluate them for medical needs.
The woman will be evaluated by mental health staff at the Yolo County Jail, police said.