Hours after police released surveillance images of a man suspected of stealing a family’s minivan with their dog in the backseat, then leaving the pet to die inside the hot car, an arrest was made in the case.
NBC4's cameras were there shortly before 8 p.m. Friday when police took a man into custody near the same place where the van was found abandoned earlier this week. His name will be released after he booked for animal cruelty, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
When asked if he knew there was a dog in the backseat of the stolen van, the man -- in handcuffs -- nodded yes.
Owner Nayo Mateo said he left the car running with the air conditioner on so his 10-year-old yellow Lab could stay cool while he went inside to get his wife and 2-year-old daughter, who were shopping at a children’s clothing store.
When he returned to the parking lot Aug. 17 to find his minivan was gone, Mateo’s heart sank – not for the car, but for Maru, who was sleeping in the backseat.
Mateo said the dog – who he’s had since she was a puppy – was more like a child to him than a pet. The night of the theft, Mateo’s wife said their 2-year-old daughter (pictured below) repeatedly asked, “Where is Maru?”
The family’s minivan and their beloved pet were stolen from a parking lot at 12507 Ventura Boulevard, at Whitsett Avenue (map), in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Studio City.
Two days later, the Mateos’ van was found abandoned in the 4100 block of Whitsett Avenue, about a quarter mile north of where it was stolen.
The windows were rolled up. Maru was inside, dead of heat exhaustion.
The thief was described as a Hispanic male, between 35 and 45 years old, about 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing about 200 lbs, with black hair and brown eyes.
He was spotted in surveillance footage (pictured below) wearing a brownish-colored plaid hoodie, a dirty white t-shirt and tan shorts at the time of the heist, Los Angeles police said.
He was taken into custody in the 4100 block of Whitsett Avenue -- the same place where he abandoned the van, and where local media and police were gathered Friday night.
Two organizations offered a combined reward of $7,000 for the arrest and conviction of whoever left Maru in the backseat to die.
Mutt Match L.A. posted a $2,000 reward. PETA posted a $5,000 reward. In light of Friday night's arrest, it's not clear to whom that reward will go.
Anyone with information about the man wanted in connection with the deadly theft is asked to call the LAPD Animal Cruelty Task Force at 213-486-0450. Afterhours and on weekends, tips can be reported by calling 1-877-LAPD-24-7.
Anonymous tips can be left by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Surveillance-Photos-Man-Wanted-Maru-Dog-Dies-Inside-Stolen-Van-Studio-City-220895011.html
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