An ailing month-old Maltipoo puppy stolen from a California pet store has reportedly been returned — and a callous teen dognapper arrested.
Surveillance footage shows the female thief and Rosa Muñoz — who runs Planet Pet Shop in Bell Gardens — fighting on Jan. 30 as Muñoz tries to rescue the snatched puppy named Baby Moon, Fox 11 reported.
In the video, the suspect is seen viciously slamming Muñoz to the ground as another woman casually walks by.
Bell Gardens Police said after the brutal attack, the suspect pepper sprayed Muñoz in the face and then ran away with Baby Moon. Muñoz broke her hand during the violence.
Though the heartless thief escaped, Baby Moon was returned to its rightful owner days later — when a pedestrian noticed the tiny male puppy in a shoebox outside the store.
“They told me that was my dog outside and when I went to check the shoe box, it was,” said Muñoz’s son, Jesse Robles.
Robles told the outlet Baby Moon had been seriously ill before he was stolen.
“It was really skinny, it was hanging on for dear life,” he said, noting that four days without his special food and medication left him sickly.
Baby Moon belongs to Robles’ sister, who had gotten ownership of the furball a week before his violent theft. Baby Moon has since been reunited with his rightful owner, the outlet reported.
Police haven’t released the name or age of the teen suspect, but said tips received after surveillance footage was released led to her arrest. They also alleged a woman caught on camera walking by the fight may have been involved.
“We had footage from the corner and you can see them running together, so we didn’t know that until yesterday,” Robles told the outlet. “Now it all makes sense, how come she didn’t help? She was part of it,” he alleged.
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