Five people, including the woman who returned the star’s French Bulldogs, were charged Thursday with attempted murder and robbery in connection with the theft and shooting that took place two months ago in West Hollywood.
LA police have stated that James Jackson, 18, Jaylin White, 19, and Lafayette Whaley, 27, were arrested on April 27 for their alleged involvement in the robbery and shooting, and are facing robbery and attempted murder charges. They were described by the law enforcement officers as "gang members from Los Angeles."
Others who were allegedly also involved and taken into police custody are Harold White, 40, and Jennifer McBride, both of whom are charged with being accessory to the attempted murder after the original crime. McBride brought the dogs to the LAPD Olympic Station two days after the crime saying that she had found them and was responding to a plea for their return that she had seen on social media.
The LAPD does not believe that the culprits knew that 35-year-old Gaga was the owner of the dogs, they are of the opinion that the motivation behind the theft was the value of the French Bulldog breed which are often stolen and resold due to the hefty price tag they command.
Lady Gaga’s friend, Ryan Fischer, who was attacked on February 24th while out walking the star's three French Bulldogs, is still recovering from the violent incident.
Video footage from the doorbell camera of a nearby home on the night showed a white sedan pulling up and two men jumping out, as they struggled with Fischer, one of the attackers pulled out a gun and fired a single shot before fleeing with two of the dogs, Koji and Gustav. Miss Asia managed to escape and was later found unharmed. Fischer said on Social Media from his hospital bed at the time that it was “a very close call with death.”
Lady Gaga offered a nearly R7m reward after the attack “no questions asked”. She had been in Rome at the time filming a movie. When McBride returned the two dogs it appeared, at the time, that she was unrelated to their theft. However, Gaga was advised by the law enforcement officers not to hand over any money until more details emerged.
Gaga has yet to comment on the arrests.
