A veterinary technician at a Mesa animal hospital was struck by a car and hurt as a couple drove off with their sick cat without paying the bill, according to hospital staff. The technician was evaluated at the scene and is said to be doing okay but was hurt in the incident. Mesa police are now trying to track down the couple involved.
The incident happened at EVE Pet Hospital, according to hospital manager Elana Gulla, who spoke with FOX 10 Phoenix. Gulla said the pair left with their feline without paying their bill, prompting hospital staff to intervene before the situation escalated in the parking lot.
Accounts of exactly how the cat left the building differ. Gulla told FOX 10 that the cat had remained behind in the hospital's ICU while the couple apparently went to retrieve money, but in a separate account relayed to azfamily.com, Gulla said the woman walked into an exam room, grabbed her cat and left, with a technician following her out.
Technician Struck as Couple Drove Away
Whatever the sequence inside the hospital, staff agree on what happened next: as the couple backed their vehicle away from EVE Pet Hospital, the driver struck a technician who had followed them outside. Gulla described it to FOX 10, saying the driver hit her technician slightly on the hip as the car reversed. azfamily.com reported that new video from the scene shows the driver backing into the staff member before driving off.
Emergency medical services personnel responded and evaluated the technician for injuries, the station's report noted. Gulla told the outlet the tech who was hit is doing okay but was hurt in the collision.
Police Investigating Theft and Hit-and-Run
Mesa police are now investigating both the unpaid bill and the vehicle strike. According to the station's report, officers are looking into potential theft of services as well as a hit-and-run tied to the same encounter outside the hospital.
As of the latest reporting, Mesa police were still working to identify the couple seen leaving the hospital with the cat. No further details on the couple's identities, the timing of the visit, or the cat's condition were available in the reporting on the case.
