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‘Help Us Catch These Creeps,’ Lady Gaga’s Dad Says Of Suspects Who Stole Pop Star’s French Bulldogs And Shot Her Dog Walker
“We’re just sick over it, it’s really horrible,” Joe Germanotta said of the brazen attack. “It’s like someone took one of your kids.”
Lady Gaga’s dad has made a desperate plea to identify the suspects who stole the pop star’s French bulldogs after shooting her dog walker, leaving him in critical condition.
“Help us catch these creeps,” Joe Germanotta told Fox News of the brazen crime carried out on the streets of Hollywood Wednesday night.
Los Angeles Police were called to the 1500 block of North Sierra Bonita Ave. around 9:40 p.m. Wednesday night after receiving a report of an assault with a deadly weapon, officer Jeff Lee told Oxygen.com.
Authorities arrived to find a white male in his 30s—identified by multiple media outlets as Lady Gaga’s dog walker Ryan Fischer—suffering from “at least one” gunshot wound, Lee said.
Police said a male assailant confronted Fischer, shot him and made off with the two French bulldogs.
"Our whole family is upset and praying Koji and Gustavo are not harmed," Germanotta said of the stolen dogs.
Dramatic surveillance camera footage of the robbery, obtained by TMZ, showed a white sedan pull up along side Fischer, before two men jumped out of the car and approached him. One of the men can be heard shouting “Give it up,” as Fischer screams “No” and “Help me!”
There’s a struggle before a gunshot goes off and the men jump back into the car with two of the dogs and take off. Lady Gaga’s third dog, Asia, was left behind and can be seen running on the sidewalk.
“Help me! I’ve been shot! I’ve been shot!,” a distraught Fischer screams.
A nearby neighbor can be heard saying he’s calling 911 as Fischer adds “I am bleeding out of my lungs.” He can also be heard saying that the two dogs stolen had belonged to Lady Gaga, who was in Italy at the time of the theft.
Dr. Fred Pescatore, a close friend and former client of Fischer, told Entertainment Tonight that Fischer had been “incredibly close” to the dogs.
"I mean, he would do anything for them. It's just heartbreaking and I know he must've been absolutely trying to protect them,” he said. “He would literally lay down his life for any one of our dogs and I certainly hope that that was not the case this time."
According to Pescatore, Fischer had moved to Los Angeles about four years ago specifically to walk Lady Gaga’s dogs and said he was “amazing” with the canines.
“He really took care of those dogs like they were his children and they were. I mean, he was unbelievable -- [a] kind, kind, gentle man,” he said. “Very kind and gentle soul.”
Fischer had been planning to leave his post as a dog walker in the near future to pursue his own art career, Pescatore said.
Germanotta told The New York Post he’s already talked to his daughter several times about the theft and said the whole family is devastated by Fischer’s injuries and the loss of the dogs.
“We’re just sick over it, it’s really horrible,” he said. “It’s like someone took one of your kids.”
Lady Gaga has offered a $500,000 reward for the safe return of the dogs and has encouraged anyone with information about the crime to email KojiandGustav@gmail.com.
