5 arrested in kidnapping of Lady Gaga’s dogs

LOS ANGELES — Five people involved in the kidnapping of Lady Gaga’s French bulldogs and the shooting of her dogwalker have been arrested, authorities said Thursday.

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According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the suspects are facing attempted murder and robbery charges, KTTV reported.

Arrested were James Jackson, 18; Jaylin White, 19; and Lafayette Whaley, 27. They were arrested on suspicion of robbery and attempted murder, People reported.

Jennifer McBride, 50, who brought the dogs to police, was also arrested, the LAPD said. McBride and Harold White, 40, the father of Jaylin White, were allegedly “determined to be accessories after the initial crime.” They are being held on suspicion of accessory to attempted murder, according to People.

Gaga offered a $500,000 reward to anyone who could help retrieve the dogs; a woman, later identified as McBride, returned them to the police station two days later, Rolling Stone reported.

>> Lady Gaga’s dog walker shot, 2 French bulldogs stolen

At the time, Los Angeles Police Capt. Jonathan Tippet told The Associated Press the woman appeared to be “uninvolved and unassociated” with the attack.

According to the LAPD news release, McBride “responded to the reward email to return the dogs. 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.”

A representative for Gaga declined to comment on the arrests. The singer was in Rome at the time of the kidnappings.

The victim, identified as Ryan Fischer, was walking the singer’s dogs when he was shot around 9:40 p.m. on Feb. 24 in Los Angeles.

According to the LAPD, a man took the dogs, named Koji and Gustav, and fled the scene in a white sedan, Lady Gaga’s representative told People.

Surveillance video from a nearby house showed Fischer fighting back and calling for help, KTTV reported. Fischer was heard calling for help as one man yelled “give it up,” the television station reported. The man then fired his gun, wounding Fischer in the back and neck.

A third dog belonging to Gaga ran from the scene, KTTV reported. That dog was later recovered safely by police, the television station reported.

Detectives do not believe the suspects were targeting the victim, according to the news release. However, police said evidence suggested the suspects knew the value of the breed of dogs, and that was the reason for the robbery, KTTV reported.


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