Iguana Stolen From Paramount Pet Store Returned To Owner
PARAMOUNT (CBSLA.com) — Godzilla, an iguana stolen from a fenced-in area in front of a Paramount pet store, was returned Wednesday to her owner, but the thief remains at large.
The 3-foot reptile was taken from Paramount Pet Entertainment at 8055 Rosecrans Ave., just after 12:30 p.m. Monday.
Surveillance video showed that the iguana was taken from the fenced, vegetated area in front of the store, where Godzilla was sometimes allowed to roam, by a man in a baggy T-shirt driving a new gray Dodge Charger.
"What happened is whoever stole the iguana sold it to another pet store," said Lt. Eric Lindblom of the Lakewood sheriff's station.
When the proprietors of a Huntington Park pet store saw a KCAL9 report about Godzilla, they realized they had purchased a stolen iguana for $200 and contacted owner Holly Cepeda.
Godzilla "is back home now," Lindblom said, and investigators seek the thief.
Cepeda, who said Godzilla is tame and loved by customers, gave the other pet store operator $200 for returning the 7-year-old iguana, according to a broadcast report.
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