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Four of the five suspects were known street
gang members, while the fifth was the woman who reported she had
found the dogs and safely returned them after a reward was
offered, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
The two bulldogs, named Koji and Gustav, were dropped off
unharmed at an LAPD station on Feb. 26 and turned over to the
musician's representatives two days after they were snatched at
gunpoint by two strangers in a car.
The dog walker who was accosted, 30-year-old Ryan Fischer, was
shot in the chest by one of the suspects as they grabbed the two
bulldogs, but he survived. A third Gaga-owned bulldog out
walking with Fischer at the time escaped and was later found
safe by police.
In an interview days afterward, Fischer said he had suffered "a
very close call with death."
Gaga, who was filming a movie in Rome when her pets were taken,
had issued a public plea on social media for an "act of
kindness" to bring them home, and offered a $500,000 reward.
Los Angeles police said on Thursday that detectives "do not
believe the suspects were targeting the victim because of the
dogs’ owner."
"However, evidence suggests the suspects knew the great value of
the breed of dogs and that was the motivation for the robbery,"
the statement said.
Three people - James Jackson, 18, Jaylin White, 19, and
Lafayette Whaley, 27, were charged with one count each of
attempted murder, conspiracy to commit robbery and second-degree
robbery. Jackson, the accused gunman, also was charged with
assault and a weapons offense, according to the Los Angeles
District Attorney's Office.
The woman who claimed to have found the dogs, 50-year-old
Jennifer McBride, and a fifth defendant, Harold White, 40, were
each charged with being accessories after the fact. McBride also
was charged with receiving stolen property, while the elder
White was additionally charged with illegal possession of a
firearm, prosecutors said.
“This was a brazen street crime that left a man seriously
wounded,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement.
“We have alleged very serious charges in this case and have
faith that justice will be appropriately served as this case
unfolds in court.”
All five defendants pleaded not guilty on Thursday afternoon and
were ordered to return to court on May 11.
Jackson was held on $3 million bond, while bail was set at $1
million each for Jaylin White and Whaley, according to Los
Angeles City News Service (CNS). McBride's bail was set at
$10,000 and she was ordered to submit to electronic monitoring
under house arrest. Harold White's bail was set at $35,000, CNS
reported.
(Reporting by Steve Gorman and Jill Serjeant in Los Angeles;
Editing by Peter Cooney and Grant McCool)
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