California man charged after video footage shows him stealing dog through window of parked car

A California man is facing charges after surveillance footage showed him taking a dog out of a parked car last week.

In a Facebook post, the Irvine Police Department said a small dog by the name of “Mookie” was stolen out of a car in the University Town Center parking lot on Friday, Sept. 16.

Detectives located surveillance video that showed a man walk up to the car on its rear passenger side, seemingly talk to the dog and then take the dog through an open window within 40 seconds.

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The man in the video was later identified as 38-year-old Earl Choi, of Fullerton, California.

Police said Mookie’s owner posted about the incident on a pet recovery website.

Choi then made contact with the owner and reportedly said his roommate came home with a dog matching Mookie’s description, and he would return him for a small fee.

The owner agreed to meet with Choi to pick up the dog.

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Once Choi arrived at the location with Mookie, officers arrested him and charged him with grand theft.

Irvine police said a happy Mookie was safely returned to his family.