BREAKING NEWSFive Suspects Reportedly Arrested In Lady Gaga Dognapping — Including Woman Who Turned Them In For Payout
Los Angeles pets can sleep a little safer tonight. L.A.P.D. have made arrests in the case involving the dognapping crime of Lady Gaga's two beloved French Bulldogs and the shooting of her dog walker, according to police sources.
TMZ is reporting that the alleged suspects were arrested Thursday, April 28, on a variety of charges, including attempted murder and robbery. The outlet also says that authorities have video of where the dogs were dropped off in an alley days after the dognapping, and it became key evidence in tracking down the alleged criminals.
According to a report by PEOPLE, police claim that James Jackson, 18, Jaylin White, 19, and Lafayette Whaley, 27, were involved with the robbery and shooting. They have reportedly been arrested on suspicion of robbery and attempted murder.
Additionally, Jennifer McBride, 50, who brought the dogs in to police, has been arrested as well, according to police, per the PEOPLE report. A press release states that McBride and Harold White, 40, the father of Jaylin White, were allegedly "determined to be accessories after the initial crime."
McBride "responded to the reward email to return the dogs," according to the press release (Gaga offered a $500,000 reward, OK! previously reported). "She ultimately brought the dogs to LAPD Olympic Station. Detectives were able to establish McBride had a relationship with the father of one of the suspects, Harold White."
The release continued, "Detectives do not believe the suspects were targeting the victim because of the dogs' owner." However, it added that "evidence suggests the suspects knew the great value of the breed of dogs."
- Safe & Sound: Lady Gaga's Two French Bulldogs Recovered Unharmed Following Violent Robbery That Left Dog Walker Shot
- Surveillance Video Reveals Shocking Details Of The Shooting Of Lady Gaga's Dog Walker & Theft Of Her French Bulldogs
- Lady Gaga Dognapping Suspects Did Not Know French Bulldogs Belonged To The Singer, Say Prosecutors
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The violent dognapping took place Wednesday, February 24, in Los Angeles. Just before 10 p.m., Gaga’s dog walker Ryan Fischer was out with the singer’s three pups on West Hollywood's Sierra Bonita Avenue when two men rolled up to him in a white sedan. A neighbor's surveillance video caught one of the men cocking a gun and yelling "give it up."
The 30-year-old dog walker can be seen putting up a fight, screaming for help and yelling for Koji — one of the dogs — before he is shot in the chest four times. As he collapses on the sidewalk, the thieves pile back into the car with Koji and another one of Gaga's dogs named Gustavo. The third dog, named Miss Asia, escaped and ran back to Fischer.
Fischer was reportedly conscious when first responders arrived on the scene, but he had to be rushed to the hospital as he was struggling to breathe. Miss Asia was recovered by authorities at the scene.
Following the horrific event, the pop star, who was in Rome filming the movie Gucci at the time of incident, offered a $500,000 reward, “no questions asked," to anyone who can return her beloved pooches, according to Daily Mail. Former FBI Agent Frank Montoya Jr. later slammed Gaga's decision telling the the outlet her reward had not only put the LAPD's investigation at risk, but opened up a market for criminals to start stealing celebrity dogs and returning them for high ransoms.
The missing dogs were recovered unharmed on Friday, February 27. According to Capt. Jonathan Tippett, commanding officer of the elite Robbery-Homicide Division, a woman, now alleged to be McBride, brought the dogs to the LAPD's Olympic Community Police Station.
