LA dognapper nabbed after stealing French bulldog in frightening scene that left owner clinging to hood of car: cops
A Los Angeles dognapper who was caught on video speeding off with a French bulldog as the pet’s owner desperately clung to the hood of the car has been arrested, cops say.
Los Angeles Police busted Sadie Slater, 21, in Inglewood on Saturday in connection to the pooch theft and set her bail at $70,000, ABC 7 reported.
It was not immediately clear if the dog, a black Merle French bulldog with a spotted coat and different-colored eyes named Onyx, was found or returned to his owner.
The brazen daytime dognapping unfolded about 2:30 p.m. Jan. 18 when Onyx’s owner, Ali Zacharias, was enjoying lunch with her pup at the Whole Foods on Grand Avenue and Eighth Street and a female stranger started calling for her dog.
The strange woman then grabbed Onyx’s leash and began walking away with him, something Zacharias told local news outlet KTLA she initially thought was a mistake.
“I didn’t think that somebody was stealing my dog,” Zacharias said. “I thought it was a misunderstanding, so I said, ‘That’s my dog. Excuse me,’ and she wasn’t listening.”
The robber then got into a getaway car that was waiting nearby. Zacharias tried to get inside but said the car was packed with four others inside. They pushed her out and locked the doors, she said.
In a panic, Zacharias moved in front of the car while screaming for help, but “nobody came,” she said.
“The next thing I know, the car’s driving into me, and I fell onto the hood,” she told the outlet.
Witness Harrison Pessy, who took footage of the frightening ordeal, said he was walking down the street when he heard tires screeching and a woman screaming. He then saw the white vehicle flying down the street as Zacharias held onto the hood for dear life.
“It was horrifying,” Zacharias recalled. “As [the driver] started to go faster and faster, I’m like, ‘I’m about to die. This is my death. Right now. I’m about to die.’ ”
The suspects drove several blocks with Zacharias on top of their hood before a sharp turn violently tossed her onto the ground.
She reported the incident to the LAPD, who canvassed the area for surveillance footage of the robbery and getaway.
Police described the vehicle as a newer white Kia Forte sedan with a missing hubcap on the driver’s front side.
Authorities released a photo at the time of a woman wearing a gray hoodie and purple sweatpants that they said they believe was the suspect. It is unclear if that is Slater.
At least one other suspect has been described as a man in his mid-20s.
French bulldog puppies, now the most popular dog in the country, regularly cost more than $1,000.
