5 people accused of shooting Lady Gaga's dog walker and stealing her pets have been arrested, LAPD says
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Arrests have been made in connection with a February dognapping incident involving Lady Gaga's dogs, LAPD says.
Five people, including four documented gang members, were arrested and charged in connection with the crime.
Gaga got her dogs back unharmed, but the 50-year-old woman who "found" them was one of the five arrested.
Five people have been arrested in connection with the February theft of Lady Gaga's French bulldogs that left the singer's dog walker shot and injured, the Los Angeles Police Department told KABC on Thursday.
The dognapping incident happened on February 24. Security footage from the incident shows two men jumping out of a car and struggling with Gaga's dog walker, Ryan Fischer. The two men then pulled out a semiautomatic handgun and fired it at Fischer, seriously wounding him.
After shooting Fischer, the men fled with two of Gaga's three dogs, security footage shows. The third bulldog, named Miss Asia, was recovered by the police.
On February 27, Lady Gaga made an impassioned plea on Twitter and Instagram for the missing dogs to be returned.
"My beloved dogs Koji and Gustav were taken in Hollywood two nights ago. My heart is sick and I am praying my family will be whole again with an act of kindness. I will pay $500,000 for their safe return," the singer wrote.
On February 26, two days after the dognapping, Koji and Gustav were dropped off unharmed at the LAPD's Olympic Community Police Station.
One of the five people taken into custody in connection with the crime is Jennifer McBride, the woman who "found" the dogs and dropped them off at the police station, per the LA Times.
According to a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department, McBride was in a relationship with Harold White, the father of one of the men accused of assaulting Fischer. McBride, 50, and White, 40, are facing charges that they were accessories to the February 24 shooting.
Three people are being charged with attempted murder: Jaylin White, 19; James Jackson, 18; and Lafayette Whaley, 27. Jaylin White, Jackson, and Whaley are also charged with additional felonies including conspiracy to commit robbery and second-degree robbery, according to NPR. Jackson, who is accused of pulling the trigger, faces an additional count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
In its statement, the LAPD said its detectives "do not believe the suspects were targeting the victim because of the dogs' owner," but instead "knew the great value of the breed of dogs." The police said that Jackson, Whaley, and Harold and Jaylin White are all documented gang members in Los Angeles.
According to Variety, the five appeared at an arraignment on Thursday, where they pleaded not guilty.
Jackson was held on a $3 million bond, while bail was set at $1 million each for Jaylin White and Whaley, according to NBC Los Angeles. McBride's bail was set at $10,000 and she was ordered to wear an ankle monitor, while Harold White's bail was set at $35,000. The five are expected to return on May 11 for a preliminary hearing.
"This was a brazen street crime that left a man seriously wounded," Los Angeles County district attorney George Gascón said in a statement. "We have alleged very serious charges in this case and have faith that justice will be appropriately served as this case unfolds in court."
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Read the original article on Insider
