One of three men involved in the armed robbery of Lady Gaga’s dog walker, during which the singer’s French bulldogs were taken, was given a four-year prison term by a California court on Wednesday.
Ryan Fischer was shot in Hollywood in February 2021 as he was exercising the three prized animals, Jaylin Keyshawn White acknowledged.
White, now 20 years old, admitted guilt to second-degree robbery at a court hearing in Los Angeles on Wednesday and was given a four-year jail term.
A car stops close to Fischer in the surveillance video from the scene of the incident, and two people get out.
Before a fight during which a gunshot is heard and the dog walker collapses to the ground wailing, one commands Fischer to “give it up.”
Koji and Gustav are taken by the intruders, who then flee as Fischer cries out for assistance.
After the criminals drove off, Miss Asia, the third dog, raced back to the dog walker.
The “Poker Face” singer offered a $500,000 reward for the recovery of the animals after the robbery, which brought attention to a rising trend that targets the pricey breed.
White had been charged in April 2021 along with James Howard Jackson, now 19, and Lafayette Shon Whaley, now 28.
The woman who police said handed in the dogs in response to the reward, has been charged with being an accessory after the fact and with receiving stolen goods.
The alleged gunman, Jackson, was mistakenly released from custody earlier this year after what the US Marshals Service described as a “clerical error”.
They have offered a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to his arrest, saying that he should be considered “armed and dangerous.”
Fischer sustained chest injuries in the attack, and said on Instagram a month later he had suffered a collapsed lung.
Los Angeles police said at the time of the robbery they did not believe the dogs had been targeted because of their owner, but because of the value of the breed on the black market.
Small and friendly — and thus easy to grab — French bulldogs do not have large litters.
Their relative scarcity, and their association with stars such as Lady Gaga, Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Jackman, Chrissy Teigen, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Madonna gives them added cache, and means they can change hands for thousands of dollars.
