Dating App Leads To Gunman Who Stole Dogs From Pregnant Woman: LAPD

HOLLYWOOD, CA — A gunman accused of robbing two French bulldogs from a woman who was nine months pregnant later tried to extort her using a phone he borrowed from his date, Los Angeles Police said Monday.

Even in a city infamous for both, its cutthroat dating scene and high-profile dognappings, the case stands out. Police are crediting the date and the dating app for helping to identify the alleged armed robber/bad date.

Los Angeles Police arrested Sammeiso Lewis, 27, of Las Vegas, on suspicion of robbery.

According to police, who warned residents Monday to take precautions to protect their pets, the robbery occurred in Studio City Dec. 9. The victim, identified by Fox 11 News as Cindy Nelson, was walking her two black Frenchies at about 10 a.m. in the 4100 block of Kraft Avenue when a man pointed a gun at her head, according to police.

“This was a nine-month pregnant woman walking her dog in her neighborhood that was randomly targeted and went through a pretty traumatic experience,” Los Angeles Police Department Detective Noah Stone told NBC Los Angeles.

The gunman took off with the dogs in a silver SUV caught on camera by a bystander.

According to police, Lewis was on a date in Hollywood 10 hours later when he used his date's phone to call Nelson and her husband in a bid to extort $1,000 from them for the return of their dogs. But his date overheard the call, and reported him to the police, according to investigators. He helpfully provided investigators with Lewis' dating app profile, too.

With the date and the extortion bid going south, Lewis gave the stolen dogs to a woman who was walking her dogs in the Hollywood area early the next morning, according to the LAPD.

She called the number on the dog tags and they were reunited with their owner.

Lewis was arrested Jan. 28 in Glendale.

Though Nelson and her dogs were quickly reunited, the case is one of dozens of armed dognappings reported in recent years in Los Angeles. Thieves target French bulldogs, in particular, because of their value. Armed robbers infamously shot Lady Gaga's dogwalker in Hollywood and stole her dogs in 2021, but they were later caught and convicted following a bungled bid to collect a reward for the return of the dogs.

Detectives on Monday offered tips for

• stay visible in public settings with significant light while walking your dog;
• utilize dog chips with GPS for your dogs;
• don't leave dogs unattended in public;
• install security cameras around your residence to monitor your pets and intruders; and
• keep current photos of your dog.

City News Service