Pets are increasingly becoming targets of theft, not just valuable items, particularly by some individuals among the homeless population.
Jung, a 59-year-old resident near USC at 37th Street and Catalina Avenue for seven years, encountered a traumatic incident involving her pets. While taking her daily walk in front of her home around 7:35 p.m. on December 13, she had her two dogs, a terrier mix and a Chihuahua, in a pet stroller.
After parking the stroller in her driveway and briefly returning inside to retrieve a forgotten item, Jung was shocked to find that both the stroller and her dogs were missing.
“The two dogs have been family pets for 10-13 years,” Jung’s daughter explained. “Despite extensive searching, we couldn’t find them. Only later, after reviewing footage from a neighbor’s security camera, we spotted an individual in white clothes, believed to be homeless, pushing the stroller.”
Jung created flyers and offered a $2,000 reward for her dogs’ safe return. Her family searched surrounding homeless encampments, including Downtown LA’s Skid Row, and notified USC campus police. Unfortunately, the dogs were never found. USC police reported that the homeless suspect was residing with another homeless individual in a vacant house a block away from Jung’s residence.
On December 17, tragedy struck when the suspect set the house on fire, leading to the death of Jung’s two dogs inside. “USC campus police have handed the case over to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), and the investigation is ongoing,” said Jung’s daughter.
“It’s hard to come to terms with the fact that a homeless person in the neighborhood could steal and ultimately cause the death of my dogs, who were like family to us,” said she. “I hope such a heartbreaking incident never happens to anyone else.”
BY HYOUNGJAE KIM, HOONSIK WOO [kim.ian@koreadaily.com]
