“Baywatch” star David Charvet is accused of killing a dog in a car accident.
The dog’s owner, Bella Errico, told TMZ that she was walking her three dogs on leashes in a gated Malibu community around 6 a.m. PT on Thursday when Charvet’s pickup truck approached.
Errico claimed the actor punched one of her pets and then drove away from the gated community.
She rushed her 11-year-old white English Labrador to the vet, and the dog was eventually euthanized.
Errico and her husband went to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to file a hit-and-run report, but because Charvet called police from her car, police did not classify the incident as a hit-and-run.
Erico and her husband believed the incident was a hit-and-run, especially since the actor drove away instead of staying at the scene.
However, a representative for Charvet told Page Six that the actor “remained at the scene until authorities arrived.”
The official said the suspect was “an animal lover and a responsible dog owner who would never intentionally harm an animal,” and further explained the circumstances leading up to the incident.
“At approximately 5:30 a.m. this morning, as I was driving through my neighborhood in low light conditions, I encountered a neighbor walking three dogs off-leash in the middle of the street,” the report said.
“He slowed the car down and moved to the side to pass safely. As he did so, one of the dogs moved under the car,” adding that Charvet “immediately stopped” and “called 911.”
“He cooperated fully with the investigation and was always available for further assistance. His thoughts are with the family who lost their dog.”
Authorities have sent deputies to the scene to prepare a “traffic collision” report and are gathering more details, including whether the dog was on a leash at the time of the accident, as Errico claims.
The 53-year-old ’90s star has been away from Hollywood and has been living a quiet life in recent years.
In 2022, Charvet exclusively told Page Six that he decided to “reinvent” himself to become the “father he wanted to be.”
“That means you put your child to bed every night and you wake up (when your child wakes up),” he says.
Charvet has two children, daughter Heaven, 19, and son Shaya, 18, with ex-wife Brooke Burke.
“Before my first child was born, I spent five years traveling to 42 countries performing concerts for my music,” he explained. “I couldn’t let that happen again. I had to find another meaning for my life.”
He added, “I wanted to stay home and be a good father. I wanted to be with my kids every day.”
Since stepping away from acting and music, Charvet has run Jones Builders Group, a residential contracting company in Los Angeles.
“My job today is to serve people. I’m a servant. I’m no longer a star,” he said of the performance. “It was a blessing to wake up early every morning and be the first face a child sees.”
