The shocking moment that a thief attempted to steal a service dog from a woman with cerebral palsy was caught on CCTV footage.
Police are now hunting for the criminal who looked to snatch the pooch’s leash from the disabled woman as he exited a bus in Toldeo, Ohio.
Arrica Okenka was idly sitting on the automobile when the unknown thief struck, and now officials are asking members of the public for help in their search.
Okenka has owned the dog, who is named Ingrid, for four years, and she came within moments of losing the dog after the attempted robber looked to yank its chain from her grasp as he exited the bus. He tried at least three times to remove the leash from her, but as the doors closed he simply jumped off the bus and away from the scene of the crime.
Okenka told WTVG, “I wasn’t letting go, I had a death grip on her. He would have had to drag me off the bus with her.”
She added, “A lot of times, I don’t have a hold of her leash, because she’s so trained, I just let her lay down.” Okenka also remarked that once she realized what was going on, she wasn’t going to weaken her hold despite the danger of the situation. She was holding on to it so tightly that it even cut her hand.
The robber had even devised a plan to distract Okenka before his attempt to rob her, as he asked her a question about the dog and looked to take part in a conversation with her about the dog.
Okenka relies on Ingrid to help her with almost all of her daily tasks. This includes helping her undress, dress and opening and closing doors, whilst she also picks up objects that she drops too.
