Lady Gaga praises ‘hero’ dog walker who ‘risked his life to fight’ when her dogs were stolen
Lady Gaga breaks her silence after armed LA dognapping to call her injured walker ‘forever a hero’ and again offer $500K reward for safe return of missing French bulldogs Koji and Gustav – ‘no questions asked’
- Lady Gaga has spoken out over the kidnapping of two of her French Bulldogs on Wednesday night
- The singer is offering a $500,000 ‘no questions asked’ reward for the dogs’ safe return
- In a couple of tweets, Gaga posted pictures of the two kidnapped dogs Gusta and Koji
- Ryan Fischer, 30, was shot once while walking Gaga’s three French bulldogs, Gustav, Koji and Miss Asia
- Surveillance cameras caught the moment he was attacked, yelling ‘no!’ and ‘help!’ as he was attacked
- Two two men beat him, punching him to the ground, then shot him before fleeing with Gustav and Koji
- Miss Asia evaded them then returned to Fischer once they had gone; Fischer was found clinging to her,
- Fischer is in the hospital where he is in a stable condition; Lady Gaga is in a 5* hotel in Rome, where she is filming the movie Gucci
- Law enforcement experts say the reward is a bad idea that could jeopardize the investigation and open up a new market for criminals – kidnapping celebrity dogs for ransoms
Lady Gaga said on Friday that her ‘heart is sick’ after two of her French bulldogs were stolen at gunpoint in Hollywood on Wednesday.
Making her first comments on the seizure of the dogs, the pop singer said on her social media accounts that she would pay $500,000 for the safe return of the dogs, including from anyone who had bought or found them.
‘My beloved dogs Koji and Gustav were taken in Hollywood two nights ago. My heart is sick and I am praying my family will be whole again with an act of kindness,’ Gaga posted on her Twitter and Instagram accounts, alongside photos of the dogs.
‘I will pay $500,000 for their safe return. Email KojiandGustav@gmail.com to contact us,’ Gaga said on Friday afternoon.
The singer praised the dog walker, 30-year-old Ryan Fischer, saying he ‘risked your life to fight for our family. You’re forever a hero.’
Lady Gaga has broken her silence over the shooting and subsequent kidnapping of two of her dogs on Wednesday night
The singer has offered a $500,000 reward for their safe return which she again reminded her followers in Twitter messages on Friday afternoon together with pictures of her French bulldogs
The two dogs were seized when the person walking them in a residential area in Hollywood on Wednesday night was shot after a car pulled up alongside him and two men demanded at gunpoint that he turn over the animals, police in Los Angeles said in a statement.
The dog walker was shot once by one of them, and the men drove off with two dogs. A third escaped and was later found by police.
Earlier on Friday, harrowing new footage emerged of the moment Fischer was shot in the street by assailants who then snatched her beloved beloved pets and left him writhing in pain in the street.
The video was taken on a neighbor’s doorbell camera near West Hollywood’s Sierra Bonita Avenue where Ryan Fischer, Gaga’s friend and dog walker, was walking with her three dogs, Koji, Gustav and Miss Asia, when he was suddenly attacked in the street at 10pm on Wednesday night.
They shot him once in the chest with a handgun, snatched Koji and Gustav and fled. Miss Asia evaded them initially then, once they had fled, ran back to Fischer as he lay on the ground, screaming: ‘Help! I’ve been shot!’
Gaga is in Rome filming a new movie. When she learned that her dogs had been snatched, she immediately offered a $500,000, ‘no questions asked’ reward which law enforcement experts have criticized. They say it may not only jeopardize the investigation but also create a market for opportunistic criminals to target and kidnap celebrity pets then return them for handsome rewards.
‘My beloved dogs Koji and Gustav were taken in Hollywood two nights ago. My heart is sick and I am praying my family will be whole again with an act of kindness. I will pay $500,000 for their safe return. Email KojiandGustav@gmail.com to contact us.’
The two dogs were seized when the person walking them in a residential area in Hollywood on Wednesday night was shot after a car pulled up alongside him and two men demanded at gunpoint that he turn over the animals
Lady Gaga also shared a picture of Gustav in a tweet that pictured the dogs that were taken in the kidnapping
Koji is pictured in a rainbow coat. The dog, belonging to Lady Gaga was kidnapped on Wednesday evening
On Friday, the LAPD released a description of both suspects; they were described as black males between 20 and 25. The car they were driving was a Nissan Altima.
Fischer survived the single gunshot and is in the hospital where he is in a stable condition.
Police are now hunting the kidnappers who seemed to know exactly who they were targeting when they pulled over suddenly to attack Fischer.
Danny Trejo, the actor who starred with Gaga in the film Machete Kills, said on Friday morning it was obvious she had been targeted.
‘People don’t just drive around say, ‘hey look there’s two dogs’. They targeted her,’ he said during a brief appearance on Today.
A grainy still from the neighbor’s doorbell cameras shows the two attackers punch Fischer to the ground on Wednesday night, shortly before 10pm
The white sedan waited with its lights on while the two attackers shot Fischer then grabbed Koji and Gustav. Miss Asia evaded them then returned to Fischer as he lay on the ground, writhing in pain
Fischer, 30, survived the single gunshot wound. He was found (right) clinging to Miss Asia, covered in blood. The dog was shaking
These are the last photos of Gaga, taken in Rome on Wednesday night. She has been holed up in her hotel room ever since the incident and is said to be ‘devastated’
The doorbell camera video shows Fischer walking down the street with the three dogs then becoming startled when the attackers suddenly stopped their white sedan.
Danny Trejo, the actor who starred with Gaga in the film Machete Kills, said on Friday morning it was obvious she had been targeted
They approached him quickly and started beating him while he tried to protect the dogs, yelling: ‘No!’ and screaming at the top of his lungs.
Fischer was still on the ground, wailing, when he was shot once. The attackers then drove away quickly, leaving him on the street.
Fischer was found by neighbors, covered in blood and clinging to Miss Asia. He was then taken to the hospital and Miss Asia was taken into the care of the authorities temporarily.
Gaga is said to be ‘devastated’ by the incident. She remains holed up in her hotel room in Rome, where she is filming the new movie, Gucci.
‘Lady Gaga is beside herself about this situation,’ a source told ET. ‘Ryan is not only her dog walker, but also her friend. She is horrified that this happened.’
‘She is completely devastated and sickened by this,’ the source said, adding that the singer’s dogs are like ‘ her babies’.
Surveillance footage captured from a neighbor’s home shows a white sedan pulling up alongside the 30-year-old, and two attackers, dressed in dark clothing, climbing out of the back seat
LAPD Capt. Jonathan Tippet confirmed that Fischer was shot once but said he’s expected to survive
Miss Asia was taken into the care of the authorities while Fischer was rushed to the hospital on Wednesday night
Miss Asia was said to have been ‘shaking’ when she was found in Fischer’s arms on the sidewalk. Neighbors said Fischer was clinging on to her so tightly they had to ‘pry’ the dog from his arms to attend to his injuries before paramedics arrived
Ryan Fischer was shot once outside of his home in West Hollywood on Wednesday night as he was walking Gaga’s three dogs
The location of the shooting is shown in the above map. It happened outside a home in the 1500 block if Sierra Bonita Avenue
‘She feels somewhat helpless because she is far away in Italy, but is doing everything she can and praying for Ryan, Koji and Gustavo.’
It’s unclear if she intends to return to the US this week.
She has not yet released a public statement, but has put up a $500,000 reward for the dogs’ safe return. The move was criticized on Thursday by law enforcement experts who suggested it was premature.
Frank Montoya Jr., who worked in the FBI between 1991 and 2016 after serving in the army, told DailyMail.com that Gaga’s reward not only put the investigation at risk, but opened up a market for criminals to start stealing celebrity dogs and returning them for high ransoms.
‘It’s always been an option for opportunistic criminals.
‘But…paying, no questions asked, can open up a Pandora’s box of sorts. She should give the investigation a chance.
‘After all, the dogs notwithstanding, a human being was shot,’ he said. The LAPD is refusing to comment on whether or not celebrity pet-knapping.
Fischer, who runs a social media account called Valley Of The Dogs, had been watching Gaga’s French bulldogs while she’s away filming the new Ridley Scott movie in Rome, Italy.
Her co-star Adam Driver was pictured on set on Thursday, while Gaga reportedly remained in her hotel room. The Academy-Award-nominated actress is believed to be staying at luxurious Baglioni Hotel Regina.
Driver plays Maurizio Gucci, the grandson of Gucci fashion brand founder Guccio Gucci in the film, which follows the aftermath of his murder.
Lady Gaga plays his ex-wife Patrizia Reggiani, who was convicted of hiring a hitman to kill her husband in 1995.
Just six days ago, Fischer had posted a video to Instagram of himslef singing to Gaga’s pups, and tagged Miss Asia’s official Instagram page. He has previously posted images of the dogs on a number of other occasions.
French bulldogs are in high demand and sell for anywhere between $3,000-$5,000. Those with pedigree lineage can also go for as much as $10,000.
Gaga is pictured above with her beloved dogs Koji, Miss Asia and Gustav in a posts previously shared to Instagram
Gaga is pictured with Koji and Asia in 2017 after touching down in LAX airport, in Los Angeles
