DECATUR, Ga. — A dog taken during a car theft has been reunited with his owner after Decatur Police alerted the public on Friday evening.
A police spokesperson told 11Alive that they learned around 6 p.m. that a vehicle had been stolen from the area of Ponce de Leon Place and West Ponce de Leon Avenue as the owner was using a nearby ATM.
At some point, someone wearing dark clothing entered her vehicle, which was still running, and drove away. But, it turned out that the vehicle wasn't the only thing the thief took. Inside the car in the back seat was the victim's dog, Bourke.
A witness attempted to follow the stolen car but lost sight of it as it headed south on Church Street toward East Trinity Place.
In the hours that passed, the police department put out an alert to the public asking that anyone who had seen the car or the dog step forward.
It was ultimately a call that saved the missing pup. Police said someone saw the dog in Atlanta and called the number on his tag.
Meanwhile, the search for the vehicle itself, a white 2018 Mazda CX5 with a Georgia license plate reading CIF7484, is still ongoing.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Investigator Robert Lindsey at 678-553-6628 or email robert.lindsey@decaturga.com. Tipsters can also call Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta at 404-577-8477 to remain anonymous.
The theft in Decatur mirrors others in the area, including in nearby Atlanta where police had reported 99 cars stolen in the first week of January alone. Of those, 76 had the keys still inside or were running.
Among the most high-profile thefts involved Christopher Bridges, known better as rapper Ludacris, who had his vehicle stolen as well. Similar to the Decatur incident on Friday, Bridges told police that he was using an ATM when his black Mercedes sped away.
