LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Police Department has made several arrests in connection with the violent theft of Lady Gaga’s dogs in February.
In a statement from police, five people were arrested in connection with the theft and shooting. TMZ was first to report on the arrests.
Two of Gaga’s three French bulldogs, Koji and Gustav, were stolen after the singer’s dog walker, Ryan Fischer, was shot while walking them in Hollywood on Feb. 24.
Fischer was sent to the hospital, but he was expected to recover. A few days later, he took to Instagram and detailed his “close call with death.”
Later in the week, LAPD announced that Gaga’s dogs had been recovered unharmed. Officers said a woman brought the dogs to a police station.
Police now say the woman who returned the dogs was arrested along with four others. Detectives say they do not believe the suspects initially knew the dogs belonged to Gaga.
Investigators believe the motive for the theft was the value of the French bulldogs, which is in the thousands of dollars.
Gaga had been offering $500,000 for the return of her dogs. The woman who returned the dogs reached out after the reward was offered.
The five suspects appeared in a Los Angeles court Thursday. Three of them face attempted murder, conspiracy to commit robbery and second-degree robbery. The other two suspects were charged with accessory after the fact, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney's office.
