‘Hunger Games’ star saves dog from animal abuser in LA streets

American actress Jena Malone was not only a badass during her time in The Hunger Games, but also in real life as she chased down a dog abuser in LA.

The incident was reported by NBC Lost Angeles, where a group of men tackled the animal abuser. Malone later shared an eight-part thread about the horrific incident on Twitter, saying that she witnessed a man kicking and strangling a small dog.

After seeing the man continue as she yelled for him to stop, she got out of her car to get the dog to safety. She later witnessed a group of men coming towards the abuser, who managed to take him down. She waited with the dog for the cops to show up and later took it to the hospital. The actress tried to get in touch with the owner but to no avail.

“So I started chasing him. I saw other people watching on the street upset, as they must have seen the same abhorrent behavior I witnessed, so I tried to signal a man in an orange vest to run with me to chase him.

“Cause at that point I really didn’t think I was going to be able to get the dog back by myself. After another block of chasing him down I looked back and there were 5 other men behind me pursuing him. Which felt like a miracle.

“6 blocks down from where the chase began a big group had gathered and it look like the man no longer had the dog… I didn’t see the brawl but I was told that the man did not give up the dog without a fight.”

…

“I’m sorry that it ended in a brawl but the dog was going to die. No question.”

Malone reported that the dog suffered a fractured rib and broken bones. The man accused of animal abuse was arrested by LAPD under suspicion of animal cruelty. No charges were filed against the group that attacked the man.

Following the previous thread, Malone gave fans an update, sharing that the dog — named Champion — was microchipped and has since been reunited with its owner.

Malone is most notable for her role as Johanna Mason in The Hunger Games franchise. She also made appearances in other films such as DC’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Sucker Punch, both directed by Zack Snyder.