In a display of cruelty that has shocked viewers, a group of thieves staged a fake medical emergency in order to steal two baby bulldogs from a Colorado pet shop named Perfect Pets last Sunday (February 23).
According to authorities, the disturbing incident happened around 1:30 pm local, when three men entered the store separately, determined to steal the two puppies valued at $4,299 each.
Security footage captured the moment in which one of the men suddenly collapsed on the floor and started having a false seizure. His fall immediately scared all the kids and puppies in the store, with the animals barking in unison as store workers rushed to lend aid.
Seizing the opportunity, one of the men then strolled to the back area of the store, lifted the lid of one of the puppy cages, and violently grabbed the two puppies before being noticed by a worker.
A group of thieves feigned having a seizure in order to violently steal two bulldog puppies from a pet store in Colorado
Image credits: ArapahoeSO
“It was obviously a decoy to distract employees and people towards that guy on the floor,” Bianca Rose Larsen, the store manager, told ABC.
The brave worker was able to grab the criminal, who fled the scene with the animals and lost his balance momentarily, causing the puppies to hit the floor. Despite her best efforts, the man was able to grab both pets again and run away.
Image credits: ArapahoeSO
“He threw them around like pieces of meat and just grabbed them and scrambled out of here,” Larsen recounted, describing the incident as “brutal” and “disturbing.”
According to reports by the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO), the man then reunited with one of his accomplices, and the two fled the scene in a Cadillac Escalade, leaving the decoy behind.
Image credits: ArapahoeSO
Police managed to arrest the man accused of faking the seizure, identifying him as 37-year-old Timothy Davis. The man was booked on charges of conspiracy to commit a felony, theft, and drug possession.
The other two suspects, however, remain at large.
A Good Samaritan returned one of the pets the following day. However, the second puppy remains missing
Image credits: Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office
The store workers returned to their homes defeated that night, but on Monday morning, good news arrived in the shape of an unidentified Good Samaritan, who had bought one of the puppies from a street vendor in Denver and decided to return it to the store upon hearing of the robbery.
Image credits: Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office
According to the store, the unnamed girl paid $1,500 for the animal. Perfect Pets was offering a $4,000 reward for the safe return of both pets, but it’s unclear if the Good Samaritan received any compensation.
Image credits: Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office
“She immediately called the store when she recognized her puppy matched the photos in the story,” an official reported.
Image credits: ArapahoeSO
Sadly, according to Larsen, this is far from the first time Perfect Pets has been targeted by thieves, with the store experiencing a rise in these incidents in the last two weeks.
“It should be a warm, happy, loving environment with all these puppies. Instead, you’re just working and in fear that someone is going to steal one,” she said.
“Lowest of the low.” Netizens were disgusted by the incident, demanding the harshest penalties for the robbers
