Gunman steals 2 puppies, cash from Pico Rivera pet store

PICO RIVERA, Calif. (KABC) -- An armed man wearing a bandanna stole two English bulldog puppies and cash from a Pico Rivera pet store on Christmas Eve.

The incident occurred around 2 p.m. at Mr. Bulldog pet store in the 9400 block of Whittier Boulevard. No customers were in the store, but the owner and three employees were taking a lunch break when the suspect walked in with a gun demanding cash and the puppies.

"He started walking towards the kennels and his dog (the owner's dog and the puppies' father) tried to jump on the suspect," said Miriam Guillen, manager of Mr. Bulldog. "That's when he shouted, 'I'll shoot your dog too. Hurry I want the dogs.'"

The puppies were just 10 weeks old and worth about $2,500 each. Store workers said they were more worried about the puppies' well-being than losing money. The dogs were still being fed goats milk three times a day.

It is the fourth time the store has been robbed at gunpoint in the last six years. The store is located at the end of a shopping center with a walkway to a residential area.

"We tell all business owners if you're confronted with an armed suspect to just to comply with their demands. It avoids the owners or any patrons of the location from getting hurt," Los Angeles Sheriff's Lt. Sergio Escobedo said.

Surveillance camera caught the suspect driving towards the store in a charcoal gray, BMW sedan.