Woman held in dog theft, injury to worker

A 21-year-old woman is accused of snatching a $10,000 bulldog from a Harris County familyowned pet shop and speeding away while a store employee held tight to the hood of the getaway car for more than a mile, officials said.

Royshana King was arrested and charged last Wednesday with aggravated robbery involving a deadly weapon in connection with the November incident, according to Harris County court documents.

The employee, Alize James, 21, said she was working on Nov. 4 at Bully Kamp, a specialty pet supply store near Aldine in north Harris County that is owned by her family, when a couple entered the store interested in buying a dog. They were aggressive and determined to pick a dog that day, she said.

The customer gave her name and phone number while inquiring about financing options for the dog, a 7-month-old exotic bulldog named Chica who is worth $10,000 and had just undergone eye surgery, James said.

But when James ran upstairs to grab mail for the UPS truck that had just pulled up, King scooped the pooch off the counter, tucked it under her arm and walked out the front door.

James, who cares for the store’s dogs as if they’re her own, did what she assumes anyone would do: run after her dog.

“That’s all Iwanted, ismy pup,” she said.

James chased the dog snatchers out of the store, she told police, but the male accomplice hit her with the passenger door and climbed into the driver’s seat. “Just leave the dog, just leave the dog,” James said she yelled.

Then, court records show, the man put the car in gear and tried to run over James with the car. Instinctively, James jumped onto the hood to keep from being run over, she said.

The driver sped recklessly down side streets and the Interstate 45 service road for more than a mile, while James clung to the hood.

Meanwhile, King lunged out of the passenger window, hitting and scratching James while she tried to call 911, James said.

When the car pulled over mid-traffic, James said the couple assaulted James by hitting and scratching her in the face and head. The man tossed her to the ground and King allegedly stole her necklace before they sped off with the dog.

King remains in custody with bail set at $15,000. Court records show King was charged in 2018 with assault causing bodily injury and in 2019 with theft for allegedly stealing clothes worth between $100 and $750.

Jose Garcia, a manager at the pet store, said he had received no news about the stolen dog’s whereabouts as of Tuesdaymorning.

The store typically attracts loyal and friendly customers, he said. Employees were feeling anxious for a while after the robbery.

“We’re just trying to get back to normal,” he said.