Five people arrested in connection with Lady Gaga's dog kidnapping

Five people have been arrested in connection with the kidnapping of dogs belonging to Lady Gaga, in which an employee of the singer in charge of animals was shot and wounded last February on a street in Hollywood, announced Thursday (April 29). authorities.

They are three young men, aged 18, 19 and 27, who are charged with the theft of dogs and the attempted murder of their walker, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said in a statement.

"It is a crime perpetrated shamelessly on the public highway and which left a man seriously injured"

, noted the prosecutor to insist on the gravity of the facts.

To discover

• Her tenant owes her more than 31,000 euros, she lives in a motorhome

Read also: Lady Gaga finds her two stolen dogs safe and sound

The other two suspects are considered accomplices.

Among them is a 50-year-old woman who returned the French Bulldogs two days after the theft.

She said she had found them in the street and had contacted the relatives of Lady Gaga, who offered a reward of $ 500,000 for the return of her animals.

Police said the 50-year-old had a relationship with the fifth suspect, father of one of the three attackers, and was tasked with collecting the reward on their behalf.

Investigators don't believe the suspected thieves knew the dogs belonged to the pop diva but were simply looking to procure purebred dogs for resale.

Read also: After coming close to death, Lady Gaga's dog walker tells about his assault

Koji and Gustav, two French Bulldogs, had been kidnapped by at least two strangers on the evening of February 24 despite resistance from Lady Gaga's employee who was walking them.

The attackers had fled by car with the two dogs, leaving the injured and bloody employee on the sidewalk.

A third dog of the singer had run away but then came back to snuggle up next to her walker.

“My heart is aching, and I pray that my family will be whole again through an act of kindness. I will pay $ 500,000 for their safe return

,

”

the artist wrote on Instagram after the kidnapping of his Bulldogs.

“If you bought them or found them without your knowledge, the reward is the same,”

she insisted. French Bulldogs are a relatively rare and sought-after species that can sell for several thousand dollars.