Lady Gaga sings the national anthem during President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 20, 2021. Officials say Lady Gaga’s dog walker was shot and her two French bulldogs stolen in Hollywood during an armed robbery. Los Angeles police are seeking two suspects, thought it’s not known if both were armed, in connection with the Wednesday night shooting. (Saul Loeb(Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP, File)
By Stefanie Dazio
Lady Gaga's dog walker was shot and two of the singer's French bulldogs were stolen in Hollywood during an armed robbery, police said. The singer is offering a $500,000 reward.
The dog walker was shot once Wednesday night and is expected to survive his injuries, according to Los Angeles Police Capt. Jonathan Tippett, commanding officer of the department's elite Robbery-Homicide Division. The man was walking three of Lady Gaga's dogs at the time, but one escaped. That dog has been recovered safely.
Tippett told The Associated Press that the dogs belong to pop star Lady Gaga. It's not yet clear if the dog walker was targeted because of his celebrity client, the captain said.
Lady Gaga is offering the reward for the return of her dogs — whose names are Koji and Gustav — with no questions asked, according to her representative. An email address for tips, KojiandGustav@gmail.com, has been set up. The singer is currently in Rome to film a movie.
Police were initially called to North Sierra Bonita Avenue, a street off the famed Sunset Boulevard, around 9:40 p.m. Wednesday following several 911 calls reporting a man screaming and the sound of a gunshot, said Capt. Steven Lurie, commanding officer of the department’s Hollywood Division.
The victim, whose name has not been released, was walking the dogs when a white Nissan Altima pulled over and two men tried to steal the animals, police said.
“Two suspects exited the vehicle and demanded the victim turn over the dogs at gunpoint. The victim struggled with the suspects and was shot once by one of the suspects,” a police statement said.
The suspects nabbed two of the three dogs and drove off in the Nissan sedan, the statement said.
Video captured by the doorbell camera of a nearby home shows the white sedan pulling up next to the dog walker and two men in dark clothing getting out.
Although most of the action is hidden by a front-yard fence, it appears the men struggle with the shouting walker. One man then pulls what appears to be a gun and a shot is heard before the men pile into the car and flee.
The walker is heard repeatedly screaming: “Oh my God! I’ve been shot!”
He cries “Help me!” and “I’m bleeding out from my chest!” as someone runs out of the house to his aid.
There was little evidence of the previous night's violence on Thursday afternoon in the upscale neighborhood known as the Sunset Square historic district. There were faint blood spatters on sidewalk grasses and an errant black glove typically used by police left in the street. Neighbors, some of whom had doorbell security cameras, declined to comment on the shooting.
French bulldogs can cost thousands of dollars. A woman in San Francisco was beaten in January at gunpoint as three men stole her gray French bulldog puppy named Chloe, police said.
Gaga has remained among the biggest pop stars in the world since breaking through with her 2008 album “The Fame,” known as much for her shape-shifting persona on stages and red carpets as for her danceable music and powerful vocal pipes.
She has won 11 Grammy Awards, headlined the Super Bowl's halftime show, and has now become a bona fide Hollywood star after co-starring in 2018’s “A Star is Born” with Bradley Cooper and winning an Oscar.
___
AP Writers Mesfin Fekadu in New York and Andrew Dalton and photographer Chris Pizzello in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Jack Miller, Head of Trading at Baird, joined Closing Bell to break down how the Securities and Exchange Commission's proposals would change the landscape for individual investors, as they face stiff opposition from brokerages like Robinhood.
Robotics automation technology company Symbotic made its market debut on the Nasdaq via a SPAC merger with SVF Investment Corp. 3, a special purpose acquisition company sponsored by an affiliate of SoftBank Investment Advisers. Symbotic rang the Opening Bell at the Nasdaq to celebrate the occasion this morning. Its debut on Wall Street comes amid an urgent need for logistics solutions, as it aims to reimagine supply chains with its A.I.-powered robotic and software platform. Tom Earnst, CFO of Symbotic, and Vikas Parekh, managing partner at Softbank Investment Advisors, join Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
The critically acclaimed film "The Northman" is now available on Peacock, DVD, and Blue Ray, and director Robert Eggers joined Cheddar News to discuss the process of getting everything right about his brutal drama. “Me and my collaborators were working with some of the finest Viking historians and archaeologists in the field when we were making this," he said. "So the material, culture, and the spiritual world is you know, the best attempt at historical accuracy."
Catching you up on today's top entertainment stories with Julia Garner of "Inventing Anna" has been considered as a front runner for the upcoming Madonna biopic, a "Joker" sequel has been confirmed, and Matthew McConaughey visited the White House to speak on the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting, and more.
Meta announced its plans to join the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. This is leaving businesses and customers wondering what the tech giant has in store for the event. Nicola Mendelsohn, the vice president of the global business group at Meta, joined Cheddar News to preview what the tech giant will discuss at this year's festival. "We're going to be showcasing more about reels. We're going to be talking about our commerce solutions, are messaging solutions, and of course, the method of us speaking of new ways to kind of connect with customers," she said.
On today's episode of On The Job: Cheddar gets a look at how the salon and beauty industry has pivoted throughout the pandemic; Mark Brim, President of Aquent's Recruiting Division Vitamin T, breaks down how remote work has transformed hiring and recruiting process across the board;
Julie Bauke, President & Chief Career Strategist at The Bauke Group, breaks down why companies are being 'ghosted' by new hires, and what repercussions can come from this.
Mark Brim, President of Aquent's Recruiting Division Vitamin T, joins On The Job to discuss how remote work has transformed hiring and recruiting process across the board, and the latest trends surrounding remote hiring across the globe.
Miami's real estate market has boomed since early 2020, thanks to an overall strong housing market, remote work, and no income tax as incentives. The city is preparing to welcome even more residents as people relocate to warmer climates to work from home. Garrett Derderian, director of market intelligence at SERHANT, joined Cheddar to discuss the Magic City's red hot market.
