CENTENNIAL, Colo. — Deputies are seeking suspects who faked a seizure to steal a pair of bulldog puppies from a Colorado pet store. One of the animals was returned, but police are looking for the other animal.
According to a news release from the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, three men walked into a Perfect Pets pet store in Centennial on Feb. 23 at approximately 1:30 p.m. MT.
The suspects, who came into the store separately, asked about two bulldog puppies that were priced at $4,299 apiece and were kept in a locked pen near the back of the store.
Footage from the store’s security cameras caught one of the men faking a medical emergency and collapsing to the floor, KRDO reported. While store employees tended to the man on the ground, one of the other suspects ran to the pen and grabbed the two dogs, according to the television station.
The suspect then ran toward the front door, the sheriff’s office said in its release. The man fell to the ground after an employee attempted to tackle him, but the suspect regained his balance and picked up the two puppies before running out of the store.
A gold Cadillac Escalade pulled up to the front of the store and two of the men climbed inside the vehicle, police said. The vehicle then drove away.
“This was definitely our biggest theft ever, and also our most violent and unbelievable,” store owner Jens Larsen told KUSA. “It’s sad as you watch the videos, how somebody could treat the animals like that.”
According to the sheriff’s office, the suspect who allegedly faked the seizure was taken into custody. He was identified as 37-year-old Timothy Davis, and he is facing charges of conspiracy to commit a felony, theft, and drug possession.
On Monday, the sheriff’s office said that one of the puppies was returned after a woman saw a news report about the theft, KDVR reported. The woman told authorities that she had bought the puppy from a street vendor in Denver for $1,500, according to the television station.
She said she “immediately called the store when she recognized her puppy matched the photos in the story,” the sheriff’s office said in a Feb. 24 update posted to Facebook.
“Perfect Pets is grateful for being reunited with the dog and plans to give her a reward,” the sheriff’s office said.
Authorities continue to search for the vehicle used to transport the suspects from the store. They said the Escalade was gold with heavily tinted license plates. It had no license place, the sheriff’s office said.
The World Animal Foundation stated that 2 million pets have been stolen in the United States, KDVR reported. Seven out of 10 pet thefts involve dogs, and only 6% of owners will get their pets back, the organization said. Purebreds are the likeliest targets and pit bulls are often stolen to be used for illegal fighting, according to the television station.
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