The moment a masked man fled a McKinney pet shop carrying a stolen dog is captured on surveillance footage.
On Wednesday, it resulted in an hours-long hunt for both the suspect and the dog.
Employees at Petland Puppies in McKinney said that a man wearing a mask entered the business and requested to see a German Shepherd puppy just minutes after the store opened on Wednesday.
Maria Smith, Petland’s director of corporate relations, stated, “She took the puppy to him there, and he sat with the puppy for less than five minutes, acting like he was filling out paperwork.”
What transpired next was captured on surveillance footage: The guy was trying to stuff the dog into a bag he had brought in when he glanced around in a corner.
He gave up and went to the door a few moments later. The footage captured the man sprinting away with the puppy in his arms as a worker confronted him.
“It feels like an assault on the family when something like this occurs,” Smith added. “Those kennel workers are heartbreaking.”
Tips that the man had been spotted with the dog on the street soon poured in after the business alerted the McKinney police.
The puppy, who had yet to be named, was sought after by the officers.
“Getting the puppy back was the main objective of all of this,” Smith stated. “To know that it exists somewhere, but we don’t know if it’s being addressed at all.”
The culprit and the stolen puppy were located safely and sound by McKinney authorities after hours of anxiety and uncertainty.
The manager of the store gave the dog the name Freedom after everything he had to endure on Wednesday.
“I get chills from that,” Smith remarked. “It’s the ideal conclusion we were seeking.”
According to McKinney police, the individual who is suspected of snatching the puppy is being held. We’re awaiting word from authorities regarding his identify and the charges he faces.
