Police: Passerby Tackled Suspected Puppy Thief

A commotion at a dog-adoption event at a South Redondo Beach pet food store resulted in an the arrest of a suspected puppy thief.

Hector Orozco, 47, was arrested Saturday on suspicion of petty theft of a dog, a misdemeanor. Witnesses told police that Orozco took Spice, an eight-week-old terrier puppy, from the Lovejoy Foundation's adoption event at Global Pet Food Outlet Express at 401 S. Pacific Coast Hwy. at about 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

Bystanders gave chase, according to a witness who contacted Redondo Beach Patch.

"Probably close to a dozen people came tearing down the street from (Pacific Coast Highway), and they just told us to call the police," said the witness, who did not want her name used. "Onlookers, including firemen from Station No. 1, joined in the chase, and he was caught a short distance away."

Orozco was arrested on Broadway.

"He was tackled to the ground by a passerby," according to Sgt. Shawn Freeman of the Redondo Beach Police Department. Members of the Redondo Beach Fire Department held him until police arrived.

Spice was found in the man's backpack and returned to the Lovejoy Foundation, Freeman said.

"It was just so strange, these people all yelling to call police," the witness told Patch. "At first I thought they were running from something or someone."

As of Wednesday afternoon, Orozco was being held at the Men's Central Jail on $10,000 bond, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department inmate locator. He is due to appear at the Torrance Courthouse on Monday.

Spice and her sister Sugar are still available for adoption from the Lovejoy Foundation. For more information, visit lovejoyfoundation.net.

Correction: An earlier version of this post said the arrest occurred Friday. It occurred Saturday. The text above has been updated to fix the error.