LADY Gaga’s $500,000 reward for her stolen dogs has been slammed by a former FBI chief for putting the ongoing police investigation at risk and potentially fuelling more dog nappings for ransoms.
The Bad Romance singer, 34, is reportedly offering $500,000 to anyone who can help recover her stolen dogs, Koji and Gustav.
Gaga's dog walker, Ryan Fischer, wasshot four times in the chest by two thieves outside his West Hollywood home on Wednesday night.
Fischer was walking the superstar's three dogs just before 10pm when the attack occurred.
Gaga’s two french bulldogs Koji and Gustav were taken, while the third, Miss Asia, got away.
And now Gaga is reportedly offering half a million with 'no questions asked' as a reward.
Speaking to the Daily Mail on Thursday, Frank Montoya Jr. said Gaga’s reward has also opened up a market for criminals to start stealing celebrity dogs and returning them for high ransoms.
Paying, no questions asked, can open up a Pandora’s box of sorts. She should give the investigation a chance
Montoya Jr., who worked in the FBI between 1991 and 2016 after serving in the army, said stealing pets from high profile celebrities had always been an option for opportunistic criminals.
“But…paying, no questions asked, can open up a Pandora’s box of sorts. She should give the investigation a chance,” he said.
“After all, the dogs notwithstanding, a human being was shot.”
Gaga is currently in Rome shooting Ridley Scott's new movie, Gucci, in which she plays Maurizio Gucci's ex-wife Patrizia Reggiani.
It is unclear whether the Rain On Me singer plans on returning from Italy after the incident.
MONEY TALKS
Footage from the scene, obtained by the Daily Mail, shows a white sedan pulling up alongside the 30-year-old. Two people climb out of the back seat then one lunges at Fischer, knocking him to the ground.
Fischer grapples with the two people over the dogs, while screaming for help. He then cries out as one of the attackers pulls him away from the dogs and towards the sidewalk.
The two people jump back into the sedan then proceed to make off with Koji and Gustav. One of the dogs can be heard yelping and growling as it's taken.
Miss Asia has managed to escape and can be seen running over to the dog walker’s side.
Fischer lies on the sidewalk for more than a minute, calling for help.
“I've been shot. Oh my god, I've been shot!” he says.
“Please help me.”
A resident from a nearby home eventually hears his cries and runs outside, then calls the police.
“I'm bleeding out of my heart, of my lung, I'm bleeding out of my chest,” Fischer tells the bystander.
“They stole two dogs, they're Frenchies – they're Lady Gaga's dogs!,” he says.
Fischer was found conscious but barely breathing when cops arrived on the scene on Wednesday night.
He was transported to hospital in a "grave" condition, officials told TMZ.
Cops described the suspects as two black males who were wearing baseball caps. They reportedly fled the scene in a white BMW.
Video taken from the scene showed a man on the ground clinging to Miss Asia as he received treatment.
Another man is later seen removing the bulldog from the victim's arms and comforting it.
Pictures show that Miss Asia was later picked up by one of Gaga's bodyguards.
Law enforcement officials told the outlet they are not sure whether or not Gaga's dogs were specifically the target.
CALLS FLOODING IN
According to 911 dispatch audio, obtained by The Sun, numerous calls were made about the shooting.
The dispatcher reported that "one gunshot" was fired and that there were reports of "a woman screaming."
Another call reiterated that there were "shots fired" at the location.
Just minutes later, a call confirmed that there was "one victim down."
Public Information Officer Jeff Lee from LAPD told The Sun: "We had a shooting that took place at 1500 block of N Sierra Bonita Avenue at 9:40pm.
"Male unknown suspect fired a gunshot. Victim was male white 30 years of age.
"Victim was transported to a local hospital in unknown condition. No arrest made yet."
The LAPD's Robbery-Homicide Division has reportedly taken over the investigation.
LURE THEM IN
LA-based attorney Louis Shapiro said he disagreed with Montoya Jr.’s sentiment, saying he didn’t believe the hefty sum would encourage others to commit similar crimes.
Instead, he said it could be a ruse to help catch the assailants.
“This is an unusual reward amount,” Shapiro said.
“We don’t really know if this $500k reward is in fact a no questions asked offer. There’s no contract made here. It could just be a ruse to lure in whoever did this.”
Lady Gaga was yet to make a statement about the incident, but her family had told the media she was distraught.
The star had adopted Gustav in 2016, an occasion she marked with an Instagram post announcing the new addition to her “family”.
“I'm proud to announce we added a new member to the #JOANNE family,” she wrote.
“I haven't named him yet but I call him both cowpig and moopig in the meantime!”
Gaga got Koji as a puppy a year before, in April 2015, while Miss Asia has been with Gaga since March 2014.
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