A distraught Montebello family is desperately hoping for the safe return of their beloved two-year-old French bulldog named Jennifer, who was kidnapped at gunpoint this weekend.
They say they left their apartment near Victoria and Wilcox avenues Sunday night just after 10 p.m. to go for a walk when a hooded suspect approached them with a gun in hand.
Mario Felix
“He tells me, ‘I’m taking the dog,’” Mario Felix recalls. “And I told him, ‘No, don’t take the dog.’ … When I went to try to get Jennifer, he put the gun closer to me.”
Surveillance footage shows the following moments as the suspect runs out of the area with Jennifer under his arm before getting into what Felix described as an older model silver Kia Optima that was already carrying at least three other passengers.
“You know, like they knew exactly what they were doing,” he said.
The suspect demanded Felix’s watch, wallet and iPhone before setting his sights on Jennifer.
French bulldogs have become a common target for thieves in recent years, mainly because they can be so expensive. Felix said they are aware of this because they already own three of the popular breed.
“I never thought this would happen here,” he said.
Mario Felix
They spent their Memorial Day posting on social media searching for Jennifer, who they say is in recovery and needs a special diet as well as medication.
“If not, it will throw her off,” Felix said. “She’s not going to be the same, she’s going to be really bad. … She’s going to get even worse.”
Because of this, and the fact that they consider the puppy one of their children, they are frantically seeking its return as soon as possible.
“Whatever it takes to get Jennifer back, I will do whatever it takes,” Felix said. ‘If they ask for a ransom, I will pay the ransom. If that makes them happy then so be it, but whatever it takes to get Jennifer back.”
Anyone who believes they have information or knows more is urged to contact Montebello police.
Lesley Marin
