A ruthless Queens robber on a motorbike snatched a dog off the street from a 75-year-old man in broad daylight, shocking video shows.
The eldest was with his pup around 2:20 p.m. Saturday at 95th Avenue and 88th Street in Ozone Park when the suspect approached and began petting him, according to cops and video posted to the police’s Facebook page. the Ozone Park Residents Block Association.
The gray and white mini pit bull, named Off White, is less than a year old, the victim, Carlos Gil, told WABC.
Then the suspect suddenly picked up the dog and started revving its engine in an attempt to take off, the clip shows.
Gil tried unsuccessfully to block the pet-napper’s path, but he got away – driving along the sidewalk while still holding the pup.
A second dog can be seen in the clip walking up the front steps just as the suspect grabbed Off White.
Off White is owned by one of Gil’s relatives, a 52-year-old woman, cops said.
“When he left on his bike, I tried to push him,” Gil told WABC in Spanish. “He rushed, but I thought he was going to hit a post. Because I wanted to get him out.
No arrests were made.
In a statement, the Ozone Park Residents Block Association called the midday robbery “appalling” and said it happened outside the victim’s home.
“We condemn the actions of this aggressor and coward who preyed on an elderly person and stole her dog,” the statement read. “These acts of cowardice cannot go unpunished, and this culprit MUST be brought to justice.”
The stolen pup is worth $800, police say – but the family feel they’ve lost something more valuable.
“We would really like to get the dog back,” Alonso Gil told WABC. “He’s really a part of the family, and it’s just very sad to know he’s gone.”
–