A puppy stolen during a broad daylight robbery in California has been returned to its owner and a teen responsible for the violent assault and theft was arrested, authorities said Friday.
Tips poured in from the public after authorities released surveillance video of a female suspect attack a woman around 12:30 p.m. Monday in the 6600 hundred block of Eastern Avenue in Bell Gardens and snatch the victim's one-month-old Maltipoo, the Bell Gardens Police Department said.
While police did not release the juvenile girl's name or age, officials said the tips helped investigators identify and ultimately arrest the suspect.
The surveillance footage from a nearby business showed the suspect and victim in a scuffle before the suspect throws the woman to the ground. A passerby can be seen walking around the pair without stopping.
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Police said the suspect violently assaulted the victim and pepper sprayed her in the face before fleeing with the puppy.
Jesse Robles told FOX11 Los Angeles that his mother Rosa Muñoz, who runs the Planet Pet Shop, was the victim and suffered a broken hand from the encounter.
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Robles said the puppy, named Baby Moon, was sick before the alleged dogknapping and went days without its special food and medicine.
"It was really skinny, it was hanging on for dear life," Robles told the station after the puppy was returned.
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Police believe the woman seen casually walking past the fight in the video might also be involved in the crime, the station reported. No further details were immediately available.
