Three of those arrested face charges of attempted murder while the other two face the charge of accessory to attempted murder.
The Los Angeles Police Department has arrested five people for the kidnapping of Lady Gaga's dogs. They were also charged for shooting her dog walker, Ryan Fischer. Of those arrested, three are aged between 18 and 27. They face charges of attempted murder. The other two suspects, aged 40 and 50, were charged with accessory to attempted murder.
Among the five suspects, four are documented gang members, the LAPD was quoted as saying by CNN. Fischer, who is a close friend of the pop star, was shot on February 24 during a violent altercation. Two of Gaga's three prized French bulldogs were stolen and the dog walker was seriously wounded. He described the incident as "a close call with death."
"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 was the motivation for the robbery," an LAPD news release stated.
"This was a brazen street crime that left a man seriously wounded," LA County District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement, according to ABC News. "We have alleged very serious charges in this case and have faith that justice will be appropriately served as this case unfolds in court."
The walker was approached by two people while he was walking the French bulldogs. They tried to steal the dogs from him and that led to an altercation, during which Fischer was shot. Two of the three dogs were grabbed and taken to a car, which drove away. Fischer was hospitalized and he survived.
Among the arrested are James Jackson, 18, Jaylin White, 19, and Lafayette Whaley, 27, Harold White, 40, and Jennifer McBride, 50. The latter two are the accessories after the crime. McBride had returned Gaga's dogs to an LAPD station in February but back then the police believed that she was not involved in the crime. She had said she found the dogs. However, the police have found a relationship between her and Harold White, the father of Jaylin White.
Jackson, Jaylin, and Whaley were each charged with attempted murder and robbery, police said. The former also faces charges of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and a felon carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle. Meanwhile, Jaylin also faces a charge of assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury. Harold and McBride were each charged with accessory after the fact to attempted murder, police said. Harold was also charged with possession of a firearm and McBride faces a charge of receiving stolen property, the district attorney said.
Whaley, Jackson, Jaylin White, and Harold White are all documented gang members, according to police.
In February, Gaga had offered a $500,000 reward for the safe return of her beloved dogs. The dogs, Koji and Gustav, were returned to her team soon after, authorities said, as per NBC News. "The dogs are happy," Joe Germanotta, Gaga's father. "We had them checked out by the vet and everything is fine. The family is extremely happy."
References:
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/29/entertainment/lady-gaga-dog-walker-arrest/index.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/lady-gaga-s-dogs-returned-unharmed-n1259034
Cover image source: Getty Images | Photo by Stuart C. Wilson
