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Alleged dognappers posed as buyers for $4K puppies

Two men arrested in the theft of three English bulldog puppies in northeast Las Vegas Monday posed as buyers willing to pay $4,000 for a dog before attacking the owner, then stealing the puppies at gunpoint, police said.

A Las Vegas police arrest report for Chey Rose, 25, of Las Vegas, and Lawrence Warfield, 24, said the pair were apprehended in the 1:27 a.m. dognapping in the 6800 block of Cherry Grove Street. The owner of the puppies said he knew Rose because he’d previously sold him a moped. Shortly after midnight, the victim said Rose and another man he knew only as “Chicago” showed up at his home near Nellis and Lake Mead boulevards under the premise that they wanted to buy a puppy “for the agreed amount of $4,000.”

As the dog owner’s friend retrieved a puppy, “Chicago grabbed the victim by his hoodie and head butted him while simultaneously pulling out a Glock style handgun with a drum magazine,” police said.

“Chicago was then pointing the gun … giving multiple verbal commands to retrieve the other two puppies or he would shoot and kill them both,” police said. “While in the possession of the puppies, Chey and Chicago fled the residence and speed off in a 2015 maroon Chrysler sedan.”

Police were called and quickly noticed a vehicle matching the description of the one used by the dognappers. Warfield, who police said is nicknamed “Chicago,” was arrested near the car. Police said Warfield has “multiple violent prior arrests including robbery with a deadly weapon.”

Hours later, a cell phone also stolen from the victim was tracked to a shed where Rose was hiding, police said. Both men were booked on suspicion of conspiracy, robbery, and burglary. A status check on the filing of a criminal complaint is scheduled for Thursday in Las Vegas Justice Court.

Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.

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