The streets of Downtown Los Angeles were the stage for a brazen dognapping that saw a woman clinging to the hood of a moving car in a desperate bid to save her stolen French Bulldog, "Onyx." The alarming event, which occurred on January 18, 2024, prompted an urgent appeal by the Los Angeles Police Department for witnesses to step forward with any information.
According to the LAPD Newsroom, the canine heist happened as the victim, identified by NBC Los Angeles as Ali Zacharias dined outside a local eatery on the 800 block of South Grand Avenue. Two suspects, one male and one female, orchestrated the dognapping, with the female abducting Onyx and escaping in a getaway vehicle driven by her accomplice.
Zacharias's gut reaction was to confront the suspects by jumping onto their car as it fled the scene. "I just wanna say, if you need help or something, you can just ask for it. You don't have to go steal my dog, that's my baby I can't give that to you," Zacharias implored in a statement obtained by Hoodline. Witnesses could only watch in astonishment as she risked her safety, holding on as the white Kia Forte zipped away with her beloved pet.
Detectives from the LAPD's Central Area embarked on a quest to locate the perpetrators and the pilfered pooch. The female suspect was described as approximately 25 years old, clad in a gray hoodie, purple sweatpants, and black shoes, while a male counterpart was similarly aged. The suspect vehicle was a white Kia Forte sedan. In a turn of good fortune, the authorities nabbed the alleged dognapper, 21-year-old Sadie Slater, on February 3, 2024. She was apprehended by the Gang and Narcotics Division/US Marshal's Fugitive Task Force and subsequently charged with robbery, as detailed by the LAPD Newsroom.
While the French Bulldog's whereabouts initially remained a mystery, the collaborative efforts of law enforcement and the public played a pivotal role in the resolution of this case. Slater's arrest has been processed under the booking number 6753331, with bail set at $70,000. As for Onyx, the fate of the distinctive dog with white fur and two different colored eyes hangs in the balance as the community looks on, hoping for a joyous reunion between the pet and owner.
