Dognapping Suspects Arrested after Crashing Getaway Car on Freeway
Photo: Stock Image
Written By: Jim Emerson
PINOLE — Three dognapping suspects implicated in an armed home invasion robbery have been arrested. The victim’s French Bulldog was found wandering loose and later reunited with its owner.
The incident occurred on Sunnyview Drive on November 17 during the middle of the afternoon. Three suspects violently forced their way into a woman’s apartment.
The victim was held at gunpoint while her apartment was ransacked. When the suspects finished, they fled with her stolen property and her beloved dog.
Their getaway sportscar was spotted by California Highway Patrol not long afterward. The Dodge Charger was traveling westbound on Interstate 80, near Fitzgerald Drive. It was pursued by a CHP officer, who ended the pursuit in the interest of public safety.
Shortly after the chase ended, the Charger collided with another vehicle on the freeway, near University Avenue in Berkeley. All three suspects fled from the wrecked car, apparently leaving the dog behind. Two pistols and one rifle were recovered from inside the car.
The nearby area was searched, and the three suspects were arrested and booked at the Martinez Detention Facility. Stolen property was recovered from the smashed car, but the missing dog was nowhere to be seen.
Someone later reported finding the dog wandering around loose. A veterinarian checked its implanted computer chip for identification, and the dog’s owner was notified.
Two of the suspects are 18-year-old residents of Oakland, Asim Sami, and Keomi D. Branch. The third suspect is Sierra Smith, 19, of Richmond.
Each faces identical charges for –
- First degree robbery
- Grand theft of a dog
- Use of a firearm by a suspected gang member
