MESA, Ariz. — Two puppies were saved after a driver crashed his car into a gas pump in Mesa late last Wednesday, causing it to catch on fire, fire officials said.
Video released Thursday shows the moment the driver crashed his pickup truck into a gas pump at the QT at Country Club Drive and McKellips Road.
The driver tries to back the car away from the pump as a fire grows. Then he gives up and runs away when the flames get bigger, leaving two Shar Pei puppies trapped inside the car.
The video shows a passenger getting out of the car and leaving the scene as well. That person has not been identified.
The Mesa Fire Department responded to the scene, saved the puppies and put out the fire.
Officers with the Mesa Police Department found the driver, later identified as Eduardo Marquez, about a mile away from the gas station and arrested him.
Marquez is facing charges of DUI, leaving the scene of a crash, criminal damage and two counts of animal cruelty.
Police said Marquez would not identify the person who was in the car with him.
The puppies were taken to a local veterinarian, where it was determined that they sustained burns on their paws and had some melted plastic in their fur, but they are expected to be fine.
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