Man robs pregnant woman at gunpoint in Studio City, takes off with her two French bulldogs
A pregnant woman was robbed at gunpoint in Studio City on Friday, the suspect taking off with her two French bulldogs.
According to Los Angeles Police Department, the woman, 9-months-pregnant, was walking in the 4100 block of Kraft Avenue, just south of Ventura Boulevard and west of Tujunga Avenue, at around 10 a.m. when she was approached by the armed suspect, who demanded her dogs, Milo and Gizmo.
"A man jumped out of the car with a gun in his hand and held it in front of my face and grabbed my dogs," said Cindy Nelson, the victim, who said she feared for her life. "He was parked and waiting. I'm nine-months pregnant, who steals dogs from a nine-month pregnant woman?"
The woman described the man as being somewhere in his 20s or 30s, standing around 6 feet tall and weighing around 200 pounds. He fled from the area in a silver SUV.
"I just want my dogs back home," Nelson said, fighting back tears.
She doesn't believe she was specifically targeted since she often walks the dogs at varying hours throughout the day, but rather that the suspect saw a crime of opportunity, given the value of the French bulldog breed.
Gizmo is eight-years-old, and recovering from a recent back surgery. Milo is nine-months-old.
Anyone with knowledge of the dog's whereabouts or the identity of the robber was asked to call North Hollywood Division detectives at (818) 754-8425.
RELATED: Nine French bulldogs stolen from home in Northridge
The incident is just the latest in a frenzy of thefts targeting the popular breed of dog, which was named Los Angeles's most desired in 2022 by the American Kennel Club.
Most notably, entertainer Lady Gaga's pair of French bulldogs were stolen back in early 2021, with her dog-walker, Ryan Fischer, getting shot during the incident.
In late November, a teenage boy was arrested for stealing two French bulldogs on the Sixth Street Viaduct, but the dogs were not found.
