An Oakland man's car, with his service dog inside, was stolen in broad daylight on Monday morning as he was moving into a new apartment, according to a report from KTVU.
The incident occurred near Galindo Street and Harrington Avenue at 7:30 a.m.
The station reported that the victim, Gregory Branscum, was a forklift operator until medical issues caused him to go homeless 10 years ago. He has lived mainly in his car, the just stolen Nissan Maxima, before recently staying in a hotel through Section 8. On Tuesday, he was moving into a new apartment he received with help from Adobe Services when his vehicle and pet were stolen.
Branscum told the outlet he left the vehicle briefly and when he returned, the car "wasn’t even visible" and he thinks it was already "heading up the road." He suspected the alleged thief used a screwdriver to start the vehicle, which had a broken ignition. Branscum had the keys with him while the theft occurred.
"I would love for somebody to just bring my dog back to me. He's all I got," Branscum said.
The dog, a 2-year-old Chihuaha mix named Ruff, was Branscum’s emotional support dog.
"He's looking for me. He's definitely looking for me he's probably very confused right now, wondering where I'm at," Branscum added.
Branscum cannot afford a reward, but KTVU said he was “desperate” for the dog to be returned. He has organized a GoFundMe to raise money for a reward.
Oakland authorities are investigating the incident, the station reported. A police spokesperson told KCBS Radio their media office has not released any information about the incident or reported investigation.
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