Click here to subscribe today or Login.
WILKES-BARRE — City police are investigating an armed robbery at a South Main Street pet store in which a dog was stolen at about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
According to police, the suspect displayed an unspecified weapon before leaving the Tropic Pet Center with a rottweiler puppy.
The suspect is described as a light skinned black man of about 170 pounds and about 5-feet 11 inches tall. The suspect has tattoos on his neck and forearm. Security camera images show he was wearing a white T-shirt and a red baseball cap.
The store’s owner, David Brill, was not in the store at the time but said the suspect came into the shop with a small child and an adult woman and asked to play with two puppies. After some time, the group left the store, but the man came back alone.
Brill said the man snatched up one of the puppies, lifted up his shirt to show some sort of weapon tucked into his waste band, and then bolted out the door. An employee said he appeared to run around the back of the building, seeming to head south.
For Brill, the most important thing is the safety of the dog.
“All I want is the dog back,” he said. “I’d even be willing not to press charges if I get the dog back.”
The dog was only a 9-week-old male, Brill said, adding that it wouldn’t have been sold for at least another two weeks to ensure it was healthy.
Anyone with information can call 911 or Wilkes-Barre Police at 570-208-4200.
