Surveillance camera video captured the moment that a California teen violently stole a puppy from a woman.
A dog theft was caught on camera in Bell Gardens near Los Angeles around 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 30.
A California teen entered the Planet Pet Shop in Bell Gardens, and brazenly stole a dog from a cage. The girl sprinted out of the store, and the pet shop owner gave chase.
The pet shop owner – Rosa Muñoz – caught up with the thieving teen. However, the teen put up a fight. She started swinging her fists and pepper sprayed the woman in the face twice.
The puppy thief is seen on surveillance video throwing Muñoz to the pavement. Muñoz suffered a broken hand during the physical altercation.
A witness is seen on video avoiding the conflict and casually walking straight past the confrontation.
The puppy-snatcher was able to steal a one-month-old Maltipoo named Baby Moon. The puppy was sick before the animal was stolen.
Days after the puppy robbery, the dog was returned to the store. A pedestrian noticed that Baby Moon was inside a shoebox outside Planet Pet Shop.
Muñoz’s son, Jesse Robles, said, “They told me that was my dog outside and when I went to check the shoe box, it was.”
He said that Baby Moon went days without its special food and medicine.
“It was really skinny, it was hanging on for dear life,” Robles explained.
On Friday, the Bell Garden Police Department announced that it had arrested the “female juvenile” suspect in the puppy theft crime after “numerous tips from the community and via social media.”
Police did not identify the suspect’s name or age.
An estimated 2 million pets are stolen on average each year in the U.S., according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
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