$1,800 Dog Thief is Sought by Police
Police are looking for a man in Georgia after he allegedly stole a puppy worth almost $2,000.
The man allegedly ran out of the Petland pet store in Dunwoody, which is north of Atlanta, with a two pound Maltese puppy.
According to reports the man entered the store Sunday afternoon and told a store employee that he was interested in purchasing the $1,800 puppy as a gift. The employee then let the man hold the puppy, but as soon as the store worker turned around the man allegedly ran out of the store and into a waiting car.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Geoff Campbell, the store's sales manager, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that after the man started running out of the store, "I hear, 'Someone just stole a puppy'…Our doors were closed, but he banged them, and that's what got everyone's attention."
Campbell also explained that there were two store employees who ran after the man, who identified himself as "Romeo," but they were not able to catch up to him.
The suspect is described as a black male wearing a horizontal striped shirt and a hoodie, standing approximately 6 feet 3 inches tall and had tattoos on his neck, Sergeant Mike Carlson of the Dunwoody police told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
"He had a pretty good start," Campbell said. "He had a car waiting around the corner, and he got in and took off," according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
When police arrived at the store they found one piece of evidence that could help lead police to the dognapper, his cell phone. Campbell explained that the phone rang several times, but no one answered it.
"When the police got here, they answered it," Campbell said.
Authorities have not linked the phone to the suspect, but Campbell is betting that a microchip in the dog will help locate to puppy.
"All of our puppies are micro-chipped, and they're registered to the store," Campbell said.
