A tiny chihuahua became a crime-fighting hero on July 7 when he chased off two armed robbers from a Southern California cigar store.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department released this surveillance footage from the Ace Smoke Shop in Altadena that shows two masked men entering the establishment with a rifle and a backpack. At first the robbers demand money from store owner Eric Knight, who starts putting cash in the backpack offscreen.
They're interrupted by the store owner's dog, who begins barking ferociously at the armed robbers. Flustered, the two men grab the back pack and run away, but not before pointing the rifle at both the cashier and the dog.
Knight told ABC 7 that his dog, Paco, has been with him for five years ever since Knight rescued him from a shelter. "I'm going to put a cape on him I think," said Knight.
The two men got away with about $200 but no one was hurt, reports CNN.
In this longer version of the security footage, Knight is seen exiting the store to look for his dog. Paco returned shortly, tail wagging.
Anyone with information about the crime is encouraged to contact the police. From the LA County Sheriff's Department:
Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Altadena Sheriff's Station Detective Brett Binder, (626) 296-2114 and reference Case# 911-01838-0773-034. If you prefer to provide information ANONYMOUSLY, you may call "Crime Stoppers" by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org