A woman is in custody after Los Angeles police say she drove off in Darian Chin’s Lexus SUV from a West Hills McDonald’s with his two dogs still in the cabin and the engine running to keep them cool.
The theft happened about 5 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 24, near Victory Boulevard and Platt Avenue. Chin told NBC 4 Los Angeles he stepped inside the restaurant for a few minutes, leaving 9-year-old terrier mix Buddy and 5-year-old Italian greyhound Bailey in the SUV with the air conditioner on. When he turned around, he said he saw “an about 20-year-old woman in my car, taking off in my car.”
He grabbed the driver’s side and tried to stop her. She backed up, swung the vehicle around, and punched out of the lot into traffic with Chin still hanging on. “She went into the middle of the street with me hanging onto the car. There were cars on both sides just watching us,” he told reporters. The rear of the Lexus was damaged. He let go, called 911, and asked Lexus to activate the SUV’s tracker.
The app showed the vehicle parked on a nearby street. Chin said he found the Lexus with Buddy and Bailey still inside, stayed put in case the driver returned, and waited for officers. LAPD officers arrived and took a woman into custody. Video Chin later shared with NBC 4 shows officers approaching the scene and making the arrest. The department later confirmed the arrest to PEOPLE.
Police have not publicly named the woman or announced charges. Chin described her only as appearing about 20. No motive has been released. The SUV still held registration papers and the family’s address, which Chin cited when he first went public.
Before the arrest news landed, Chin put $50,000 cash on the table for the dogs’ safe return, no questions asked. “The primary concern is our dogs that we want to get back,” he said. He even offered to arrange an anonymous drop. “Feel free to drop off the dogs and we’ll get the money to you somehow anonymously.”
West Hills sits in the western San Fernando Valley. Mid-August heat made the running engine and AC the reason Chin left the dogs in the car at all. NBC 4’s Robert Kovacik noted that question on air the night of the theft. Chin’s answer was simple. The air was on so the dogs would not overheat while he ran inside.
The tracker is what closed the loop. Chin followed the Lexus app to the parked SUV, saw both dogs, and called police rather than confronting the driver again. Officers made the arrest at that location. MotorBiscuit later reported that Chin was reunited with Buddy and Bailey at the recovery. Specific booking charges and a court date have not been released as of Aug. 28.
Chin is a West Hills-area resident whose public comments have focused on the dogs, not the damaged Lexus. Buddy is a 9-year-old terrier mix. Bailey is a 5-year-old Italian greyhound. Photos circulated with the NBC 4 interviews show both dogs and Chin speaking on camera after the arrest. The woman’s identity, prior record, and any statement from her or an attorney have not been published by LAPD or local prosecutors.
Anyone with additional information can contact the Los Angeles Police Department. Chin’s $50,000 offer was made while the dogs were still missing. Once the tracker located the SUV and officers took the driver into custody, the immediate search ended. What charges, if any, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office will file remains an open question.
