Police in Los Angeles have arrested a 15-year-old boy accused of stealing two French bulldogs at gunpoint earlier this month.
Two people were walking their pets, named Blue Sky and Rhino, on the 6th Street bridge in the Boyle Heights neighborhood around 12:30 a.m. Nov. 12 when they were accosted by a gun-toting suspect, the LAPD said.
Four-year-old Rhino is one of the two French bulldogs that were stolen in LA on Nov. 12. Instagram / @bringrhinohomeInvestigators caught up with the 15-year-old suspect Nov. 16, but the stolen dogs, 4-year-old Rhino and 2-year-old Blue Sky, have not yet been located.
The owner of one of the missing pooches told KTLA that police suspect the dogs are somewhere in the South LA neighborhood where the 15-year-old suspect lives, and that he may have stashed the pups at a friend’s home.
The stolen Frenchies, Blue Sky (left) and Rhino, have not yet been located. Instagram / @bringrhinohome
Blue Sky’s owner said she did not care about having a gun pointed at her and only thought of getting her dog back. Instagram / @sweet_cali_frenchieThe teen has been charged with two counts of armed robbery. He has not been identified because he is a minor.
Speaking to Fox 11 last week, Blue Sky’s owner, who gave her name as Anna, described the harrowing moment her pet was taken away by force.
“It was the worst feeling ever, because all that I’m thinking is I didn’t even care I got a gun pointed at my face,” the victim said. “All I was thinking at the moment was, ‘What am I going to do to get her back?’”
The dog heist took place on the 6th Street bridge in the Boylan Heights section. KTLAAnna’s friend Jack, Rhino’s owner, recounted how during the heist he raised his hands, lowered his head and shut his eyes because he thought he was going to be killed in that moment.
“I’m upset and devastated. I just want my boy back,” Jack said, referring to his pooch.
French bulldogs, which are worth anywhere between $1,500 and $5,000 apiece, have gained in popularity in the US in recent years, and have become a favorite target for thieves.
There have been numerous reports of French bulldogs being stolen across the country, most famously when Lady Gaga’s two Frenchies were snatched by thieves who shot her dog walker.
