It’s been more than two months since Lady Gaga’s beloved French bulldogs, Koji and Gustav, were dognapped, and her dog walker Ryan Fischer shot during the abduction, but the police now have suspects in custody.
In a press release, the Los Angeles Police Department announced that five people have been arrested in connection to the crimes.
Three of the suspects, who are believed to be involved in the robbery and shooting, have been charged with one count of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit robbery and second-degree robbery. The other two were arrested as alleged accessories after the initial crime and were charged with accessory attempted murder. According to their booking sheets, they’re all being held at $1 Million bail.
Per the police, “evidence suggests the suspects knew the great value of the breed of dogs and was the motivation for the robbery,” however, detectives don’t believe that Koji and Gustav were specifically targeted because they are Lady Gaga’s furbabies.
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office also revealed that the suspects each pled not guilty to the charges they faced.
ICYMI, on February 24, two of Gaga’s French Bulldogs, Koji and Gustav, were kidnapped – or, rather, dognapped – on Sierra Bonita Avenue in Hollywood. Her third furbaby, Asia, managed to escape and was later recovered by the Los Angeles Police.
The incident ended up getting pretty violent and her friend and dogwalker, Ryan Fischer, was shot and critically wounded. He was brought to the hospital after some of the neighborhood residents called 911. Ryan survived his injuries, however, in an update last month, he revealed that his lung had collapsed multiple times and was still struggling with trauma.
Following the dognapping, Gaga, who is in Italy filming House Of Gucci, went on social media and offered a $500,000 reward for the return of her furbabies. She also praised her “hero” and friend Ryan.
Two days after the abduction, a woman brought two French Bulldogs to the LAPD’s Olympic Community Police Station – the pups, who are unharmed, were identified by the singer’s reps and detectives and have been reunited with Gaga’s team. Initially, an LAPD rep said the woman who brought the dogs to the station appears to be “uninvolved and unassociated” with the incident. However, police now say they discovered that the woman who returned the dogs “had a relationship with the father of one of the suspects.”
District Attorney George Gascón said in the release: “This was a brazen street crime that left a man seriously wounded. We have alleged very serious charges in this case and have faith that justice will be appropriately served as this case unfolds in court.”
Lady Gaga’s dad, Joe Germanotta, shared his reaction upon learning of the arrest.
“That’s fabulous news. I hope the L.A. prosecutor doesn’t let them go,” he told Entertainment Tonight. “It’s taken a while and I’m proud of the police department out there for sticking with it. As I said, I just hope that the DA doesn’t let them go now. I’m going to give my daughter a call. I’m sure she’ll be happy.”
