NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – A 16-year-old was arrested and charged for stealing a French Bulldog from its 15-year-old owner with the threat of a gun on Christmas Day, the Queens District Attorney's Office announced on Thursday.
The defendant, of Sheffield Drive in Brooklyn, was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm, criminal possession of stolen property, petit larceny and menacing.
The 9 mm police found in the parking lot across from where the defendant was spotted tossing his gun.NYPD
"Pulling a gun in broad daylight to steal a dog and then casually taking the animal for a stroll is a kind of dangerous brazenness we will not tolerate under any circumstance. The defendant will have to answer for the charges against him," Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.
The 15-year-old dog owner was walking his pooch on Christmas Day when the dognapper approached him in front of 41-14 10th Street, the NYCHA Queensbridge South Houses in Queens, at around 9 p.m.
The defendant allegedly held a gun to the teen's chest, telling him he had five seconds to run, prosecutors said.
At the threat, the dog owner dropped the leash and ran, quickly calling the police.
Officers with the Housing Bureau's Police Service Area 9 responded to the scene, and found the alleged thief within 15 minutes.
He was spotted with the dog nearby, in the vicinity of 38-16 10th Street, and the district attorney's office said that an NYPD officer saw the defendant throw a gun over a fence.
A 9 mm gun was found in the parking lot on the other side of the fence, loaded with 12 shots of ammunition, officials said.
The dog was returned to his owner, and the NYPD celebrated the reunion in a post on X.
"Thanks to the quick actions by your @NYPDPSA9 cops, the criminal was caught, a firearm was recovered, and the owner and pooch will not be having a RUFF day," the post read.
The defendant was ordered to return to court on Jan. 9.
