A St. Paul man who was arguing with his girlfriend killed 10 puppies in front of her by snapping their necks and then threatened to do the same to her, witnesses said Wednesday.

St. Paul police, who could cite the man for cruelty to animals, were looking for him Wednesday. They also were investigating alleged threats that witnesses said he made to his girlfriend Tuesday outside an East Side apartment complex.

On the basis of what witnesses said, police believe he may have killed the pups either because they weren't purebreds or to threaten his girlfriend.

"Until we find him we won't know," said Tom Walsh, St. Paul police spokesman.

The puppies, which were pit bull mixes, were said to have been born less than two weeks ago. They were killed about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday by their owner and then tossed one at a time into a large trash bin, witnesses told police.

Tiffany White said the man was arguing with his girlfriend, her mother and his brother.

"He was mad at his girlfriend and took it out on the puppies," White said. "I just wish somebody would catch him because what he did was wrong."

Monica Smith, who also witnessed the attack, said Wednesday afternoon that the man turned his anger on his girlfriend after killing the pups, telling her that if she didn't give him a ride, "I'll do to you what I done to the dogs.' "

What happened was despicable, said Janelle Dixon, executive director of the Humane Society for Companion Animals in Woodbury. She said that virtually any animal shelter would have taken the dogs or tried to place them.

She said that it is not unusual for animals to be caught in abusive domestic situations.

"There are instances where women in abusive situations will stay because they are afraid of what will happen to their pet," Dixon said.

Among the witnesses were several young children who live in the apartment complex, located near Johnson Parkway and McLean Avenue.

Witnesses said the argument started upstairs when the girlfriend refused to give the man and his dogs a ride home.

"The puppies were screaming," said Carroll Paynes, one of several residents who witnessed the killings. "You could hear their necks snap."

She and other witnesses said that after killing the puppies, the man walked away with his girlfriend and the mother dog. They drove off in a green car about 6 p.m.

Walsh said investigators talked to the girlfriend Tuesday night. "There is nothing that leads us to believe she is with him against her will," he said.

The suspect is described as a black man between ages 18 and 22, about 5 feet 8, with a slender build and long, braided hair. He was wearing a blue shirt with a yellow stripe and yellow lettering. Police also said he has eyes that are askew and a gap in his front teeth.

Paynes said she didn't believe at first that the man was going to kill the puppies. Once the killing started, she said, she went inside and grabbed two kitchen knives to try and stop him. Friends held her back.