Man Wounded in Shooting Dispute About Pet

TRABUCO CANYON — Authorities on Monday arrested a man who allegedly struck a dog with his car and then shot a neighbor in a dispute over the incident.

Ernest Addington, 39, of Trabuco Canyon was being held at County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder after deputies used pepper spray to subdue him at his home on Pine Street, said Lt. Jay Mendez of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

The incident began about 2 p.m. when Timothy Benson, 34, of Trabuco Canyon saw Addington strike a neighbor’s dog and then drive away, the resident later told police. When Addington returned to the site on Trabuco Oaks Drive later, Benson got into his car and pulled alongside Addington’s to confront him, Mendez said.

The two got into an argument, and Addington pulled out a handgun and fired twice, Mendez said. One of the shots hit Benson in the hip, Mendez said.

Benson was in critical condition at Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo, Mendez said.

Deputies who later tracked Addington to his home in the same neighborhood used pepper spray when he refused to indicate he was no longer armed, Mendez said.

The dog survived the collision, he said.