Crime Stoppers: Dog stolen in carjacking near Holton and North Avenue

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A woman trying to do a good deed ended up getting carjacked in front of her house. 

The worst part about it -- her dog was in the back seat of the car when it was stolen. 

Now she and detectives are counting on your anonymous tip to bring her dog home and find the person who took her. 

LaShaie Ashford says her dog, Zoie, is pint-sized with a lot of attitude. 

"She is a small, white and brown Shih Tzu. She's grumpy, but she's my grumpy girl." A grumpy girl she's been scouring shelters and rescue pages to find ever since she was stolen the morning of Jan. 4. 

"She's our family, she's our baby, she's my daughter. She is not big on strangers."

So, she's probably not a fan of this guy. Detectives say he took Zoie and before he did, he stopped at the Citgo on Holton and North Avenue to buy some cigarettes. 

He got there in a red GMC Terrain, which police say was stolen. 

LaShaie Ashford lives across the street from the gas station on Holton, and the suspect rode by just as she forgot something, left her car running, ran back inside and came right back out. 

"It was literally seconds. I was right here with a bag of clothes I was donating; I was bringing it out the door and I stepped here, I saw the guy, I took another step and then he raised his hand and then I kind of froze right here on my porch."

"And he was holding a gun?"

"Yes, he was holding a gun."

"And Zoie was in the car?"

"She was in the car, probably confused and not knowing what was going on."

"What was going on through your head then?"

"Fear. I was scared for me and Zoie."

As the days went by, that fear grew as the snow fell and January temperatures plummeted. 

"She's a part of my family, I have had her for eight years. I am her emotional support person, so I am nervous that she's cold and she's confused and she's trying to figure out where her family is. We really want Zoie back home."

Milwaukee Police Detective Michael Martin wants to bring her home. They've already found both Ashford's car and the stolen red GMC truck. 

"The car had been observed by officers several days later. There was a vehicle pursuit, but the car was found abandoned with no one inside of it. The occupants of that vehicle got away," said Detective Martin. 

As for Ashford's car, Milwaukee police found it weeks later during a traffic stop at Sherman and Melvina. They arrested the people who had the car but say they're still looking for the man who stole it, and Zoie, in the first place. 

"We are hoping that somebody will see this video, recognize this individual and get us some information to help us arrest the offender that took our victim's car," said Detective Martin. 

Ashford did get her car back, but it had $600 worth of damage, and the suspects also stole thousands of dollars' worth of her stuff. 

"I'm a medical student so all of my books was in there, my laptop, my things that I use for school. My lab coat, all of that was also taken," said Ashford.

They even used her debit card to withdraw all of her money from her account. 

But despite all of that, all she can think about is her baby girl. 

"I am most concerned about getting the dog back. Everything else they took they can keep, fine. Just bring Zoie back."

If you know anything about this crime, call Milwaukee Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS. You can submit a tip through the P3 tips app too. 

Both ways are anonymous, and if your tip leads to an arrest, you get a cash reward. 

A GoFundMe has been created to help support LaShaie. You can find it here.