Woman saw four ‘thieves’ drive off with her French Bulldog — so she clung to the hood of their speeding car to save her beloved pet

A woman who went to great extremes to save her dog from being stolen is finally getting the help she deserves. Ali Zacharias was out with her pup, Onyx, a French Bulldog, when a stranger caught hold of him and began walking away. Clueless about the act, the pet owner did all she could to protect Onyx from the thieves. She realized there were four of them and jumped on the hood of the car in a desperate attempt to stop them from driving off with her beloved pet. The eye-popping moment has been caught on camera and is currently going viral on the internet. 

A brief footage of Zacharias clinging to the hood of a car while the thieves tried to get away with her dog was captured by a bystander. As the car sped away, the brave woman’s feat turned heads on the busy street in Los Angeles. In an interview with KTLA, the dog owner spoke about the chilling experience and hopes to find her pet with the help of the Los Angeles Police Department. On January 18, Zacharias was having lunch outside an LA Whole Foods store when another woman grabbed her dog’s leash and walked away without any hesitation. 

Initially, it barely crossed her mind that it was a theft in progress. “I didn't think that somebody was stealing my dog. I thought it was a misunderstanding, so I said, 'That's my dog. Excuse me,' and she wasn't listening," Zacharias told the outlet. She followed the thief to a white KIA Forte sedan, where she was locked out of the car. Not willing to give up, the dog owner’s quick thinking urged her to jump on the hood, hoping it would delay the thieves from fleeing. A smart move, but unfortunately, the thieves had little compassion and hit the gas with the owner clinging on for dear life.  

Zacharias managed to get a glimpse inside and found there were four people inside the car. Meanwhile, the car kept going faster with every second she was on the hood. The driver was trying to throw her off by slamming the brakes, which she did eventually. The four thieves fled with Onyx, leaving Zacharias on the streets with minor injuries. Harrison Pessy, a bystander, promptly filmed the chaotic scene when he heard “the screeching of the car and screaming” on his way home, he told the Los Angeles Times. He forwarded it to his wife and friends, one of whom shared it on social media for the world to see. 

It took off on the internet and caught the attention of the Los Angeles Police Department. Now, Zacharias is cooperating with the police to find her pup and bring him home, which she considers her “child.” Onyx is described as a black Merle French Bulldog with a spotted coat and different colored eyes, per a news release by the LAPD (@LAPDPIO) on X. They also have eyes on two suspects, a Black woman, 25, wearing a gray hoodie and black shoes, and a Black man, also 25.