TORONTO -- A man who allegedly stole a puppy at gunpoint in Brampton was taken into custody on Friday after he accidentally shot himself in the leg while running away from the scene of the crime.
Police say that the victim used an online classifieds site to arrange for the sale of the puppy, agreeing to meet the suspect in the area of Skylar Circle.
Once the victim arrived at the meetup location he handed over the puppy to the suspect but police say that the suspect refused to pay and instead pointed a firearm at the victim.
The suspect then ran away with the dog but as he fled he accidently shot himself in the leg and fell to the ground, police say.
Officers were then called to the area by the victim.
Once on scene, they located the suspect and he was taken to hospital with injuries that were considered non-life threatening. A Colt .45 firearm was also recovered at the scene, according to police.
The puppy, a nine-week-old pure bred American Bulldog called 'Tarzan,' was returned unharmed to its owner.
Const. Heather Cannon said Saturday that police are happy that the puppy and the seller were not physically injured
“I know that in the end we did have an unharmed very happy puppy that was returned to the seller ... but I think it is something to be mindful of, especially when people are considering buying and selling online,” Cannon said.
“If you are doing any buying or selling transactions we do have designated spots at three of our police stations and they have designated signage and there are cameras trained on the area.”
A 20-year-old Brampton man, whose identity has not been released, has been charged with robbery and firearm-related offences in connection with the incident.
