Police are looking for two men who allegedly stole a French bulldog from a family at gunpoint last week in North Hollywood.
The incident occurred around 4:20 p.m. on March 20, when two men followed a victim out of a store and into a parking lot near the intersection of Victory Boulevard and Vineland Avenue, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a news release.
The victim was carrying a 5-month-old puppy with him back to his car when one of the men brandished a gun and took the dog away from him, police said.
The suspects then fled the scene by foot with the French bulldog, according to the LAPD.
Jasmine Valencia told KTLA that the puppy, who she had given to her daughter as a Christmas gift, was swiped from the Target parking lot while the family was shopping inside.
“That’s when they pulled out the gun. My brother tried to put him in the car to keep him safe, but they were able to get into the car, take him out the car and run off with him,” Valencia said.
The family is now offering a $12,000 reward for his safe return.
“It’s a really sad situation, we’ve all been sad since it happened,” Valencia said. “My daughter’s upset, she’s crying.”
The first suspect is described as a Hispanic male, approximately 20-years-old with brown hair and brown eyes. He stands about 5’10” in height and weighs around 160 pounds. He was wearing black shoes, blue jeans, a camouflage jacket and a red hat worn backward with a distinctive “gauge” earring, according to investigators.
The second suspect is described as a Hispanic male, around 20-years-old, with brown hair and brown eyes. He stands approximately 5’10” tall and weighs 150 pounds. He was wearing white shoes, blue jeans and a black sweater, according to the LAPD.
The robbery was the latest in a string of dog thefts in the Los Angeles area. Just last month, two men shot Lady Gaga’s dog walker and stole two of the singer’s three French bulldogs while they were out on a walk.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact North Hollywood Station Detective Kojima at 818-754-8426 or 818-754-8424.