SAN ANTONIO — A San Antonio dog trainer frequents McAllister Park four to five times a week for her work.
On Tuesday, she decided to change up her location and go to another pavilion in the park adjacent to the soccer fields.
As she got to work, she noticed a black car park two spaces away. She didn't think anything of it, until two men got out. One had a gun.
The trainer shared her traumatic experience anonymously with KENS 5. She's hoping that her recollection of the suspects and their vehicle will hopefully identify them, and prevent them from targeting anyone else.
While at McAllister Park, the trainer had her dog, a German Shepherd named Ember, and a client's French Bulldog named Hugo.
She traditionally trains at another spot in the park, but because of activity that was happening there around 3:30 p.m., she moved to Pavilion 2.
Hugo, who was dropped in her care on Feb. 1, was about to complete his last training session and would return home Wednesday.
As the trainer secured Ember in the van and brought Hugo out for some training, she noticed two men getting out of a black car two spaces away from her and approaching her.
"They waited until [Ember] was in the vehicle locked up before they did anything," she recalled. "I just happened to glance in their direction and I saw the gun."
She says the driver remained in the car. The man in the passenger's seat got out, along with the armed man who came from the back seat.
The man with the gun, she said, did all the talking.
"He looked at me and was like, 'I just wanna take the dog. You're not gonna give me any issues. No one has to get hurt. I just want the dog.' My initial instinct was like, 'No.' I brought Hugo closer to me," she explained. "I was like, 'No you're not.' He cut me off and was like, 'No, I'm just going to take the dog. There's not going to be a problem.'"
She said the man from the passenger's seat grabbed Hugo's leash and handed it to the armed suspect. Both jumped into the car and fled.
"I grew up in the ghettos of San Antonio. I grew up were you have to watch yourself," she said. "So once I saw the gun, it was like, 'OK, what can I identify?'"
She says the vehicle was a black four-door sedan, similar to a 2010 Kia Optima. She remembers the paint chipping on the front, but the vehicle did not have a front license plate.
We asked what she remembers about the passenger. She said, "His hands were really worn and beaten up, like how construction workers' hands are."
She remembers him being between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-9, and wearing a blue T-shirt with black shirts and white-and-black sneakers. His hair was about two inches long, with a shaggy, unkept look. She believes he is Hispanic.
The gunman also "had a full tattoo sleeve on his left arm," she recalled. "He had a fresh fade that had just been done. On the right side, there was razor marks whenever they do designs in them."
She says the gunman was about 5-foot 7, wearing a white graphic tee, black basketball shorts and black sneakers, and he had a tattoo sleeve on his left arm that stopped at his wrist. She believes he is also Hispanic.
She called police and gave them every detail. She said shortly after, SAPD launched a search in the air.
"They ended up getting a helicopter in the sky really fast... there was just a lot of vehicles that matched the description," she explained. "McAllister Park doesn't have any cameras. There's cameras at the entrance of the parks, but they're not live feed cameras. They only take snapshots if someone runs a red light or something like that."
While talking with police, she said she learned another French Bulldog was stolen in the same area two days prior.
The American Kennel Club reports French Bulldogs are the most popular dog breed in the country. They're also stolen the most, according to AKC Reunite, an affiliate of the American Kennel Club that helps owners track down missing pets.
"Frenchies are in their prime right now in terms of popularity. Everyone wants one. Everyone's breeding them. They're expensive dogs. Lots of times, people will steal them knowing they can resell these dogs at a high ticket price or they can breed them and make even more from the puppies," the trainer explained. "I've seen Frenchie as low as $2,500 and I've seen them as high as $15,000."
Hugo's owners, Jessica Gearhart and Tori Ferrante, told KENS 5 they were in disbelief that this popular crime happened to their family—especially in the middle of the day.
"When she told me, my heart sank," said Ferrante.
"He is the friendliest dog when it comes to people. He loves anybody," she added. "The people that took him, he's probably like, 'Oh yeah! We're going to a new home!'"
Hugo, who is 1 and a half years old, is neutered and microchipped. He also has a scar on his left arm from when he tried to jump off a bed when he was a puppy.
Gearhart and Ferrante are sharing an informational flyer across social media along with contacting area shelters.
A cash reward is being offered for Hugo's safe return. While Ferrante wouldn't disclose the exact amount, she said it would be more than what a French Bulldog would typically cost.
If you know any information, you can contact Ferrante at 512-595-1319 or Gearhart at 210-868-5977.
"It's heartbreaking. I just miss him so much. I would do anything to have him home, I really would," said Gearhart. "I won't even ask questions. I just want my son back."
In the meantime, the trainer is searching for another, safer place to work.
"It doesn't feel ok to go back because I wonder, are they still waiting?" she wondered.
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