Lady Gaga’s dog walker was shot and two of the singer’s French bulldogs were stolen in Hollywood during an armed robbery, police said.
The dog walker was shot once Wednesday night and is expected to survive his injuries, according to Los Angeles Police Capt. Jonathan Tippett, commanding officer of the department’s elite Robbery-Homicide Division. The man was walking three of Lady Gaga’s dogs at the time but one escaped.
Tippett told The Associated Press that the dogs belong to pop star Lady Gaga. It’s not yet clear if the dog walker was targeted because of his celebrity client, the captain said.
Lady Gaga’s representatives did not immediately have a comment Thursday morning. The singer is currently in Rome to film a movie.
Police were initially called to North Sierra Bonita Avenue, a street off the famed Sunset Boulevard, around 9:40 p.m. Wednesday following several 911 calls reporting a man screaming and the sound of a gunshot, said Capt. Steven Lurie, commanding officer of the department’s Hollywood Division.
The victim, whose name has not been released, was walking the dogs when a four-door sedan pulled over and two men tried to steal the animals, Tippett said.
The dog walker tried to fight them off and was shot by one of the men wielding a semiautomatic handgun during the struggle. It’s not yet known if both men were armed.