Friday in Santa Monica, several people staged a protest in front of the Aquarium & Pet Center alleging the store purchased puppies from puppy mills:
Three protesters were hit with what was later determined to be brass pellets fired from a high-powered air rifle. The protesters suffered minor injuries, said Sgt. Jay Trisler with the Santa Monica Police Department, which is asking for the public’s help in identifying the shooter.
[…]
Davis [head of the protest group] said employees with the Aquarium & Pet Center threatened the protesters and were seen laughing after the shots were fired.The store’s owner, Scott Lee, said his employees were not involved in the attack and does not purchase animals from mills.
“We get ours from local breeders … ,” Lee said. “[The accusations are] not true.”
There is a $5000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the shooter.