Pricey Bulldog Puppies Unharmed After Being Stolen At Gunpoint

RIVERSIDE (CBSLA) - A Moreno Valley probationer was charged Wednesday with armed robbery and assault with a firearm after allegedly stealing four expensive purebred puppies at gunpoint.

Alexxys Octavio Jimenez, 22, was arrested Nov. 23 at his home less than a day after committing the alleged robbery in a shopping center parking lot in Perris, according to Riverside County Sheriff's Sgt. Jason Edmondson.

Investigators say Jimenez arranged to meet with two Perris residents selling English bulldog puppies on Thanksgiving Day afternoon. The unidentified victims agreed to bring the pups - which can fetch up to $4,500 - to the Perris Plaza at Nuevo Road and Perris Boulevard, Edmondson said.

When the victims arrived, Edmondson says two suspects emerged from a black SUV, including one of whom brandished a firearm at the victims and stole the eight-week-old puppies.

Jimenez and his accomplice allegedly grabbed the puppies and fled the area in an SUV.

Detectives later identified Jimenez as one of the alleged robbers using surveillance video and witness statements, according to Edmondson. Jimenez was arrested without incident at his home on Robie Court in Moreno Valley, Edmondson said.

The puppies were recovered unharmed and returned to the owners, the sergeant said.

Investigators are still attempting to identify Jimenez's alleged accomplice.

According to court records, Jimenez has a prior misdemeanor conviction for possession of a prohibited firearm.

He's being held on $500,000 bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta and is scheduled to make his initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon.