Chicago crime: Dog stolen at gunpoint by masked teens in East Garfield Park

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A family is desperate to get their dog Hiro back after he was stolen at gunpoint by masked teens last Friday night.

Hiro is a six month old Merle breed. His family said the masked teens who took him just after midnight last Friday were all armed and one put a gun to the head of the relative who was walking him down the street.

"I guess they saw the puppy thinking it would be an easy take, and they could resell him for money," said Hiro's owner, who did not want to be identified out of safety concerns.

The family said the teens took nothing but the dog in the armed robbery in the 2700-block of West Maypole. But the owner said police tell her it could have been part of a recent crime spree. She said the relative who was with the dog at the time of the robbery was able to memorize the license plate of the car the armed robbers were in and report it to detectives.

"They informed us the plate had come back stolen and it was also linked to a bunch of armed robberies from the day before," the owner said.

In a statement, Chicago police said the armed men pulled up in an apparently stolen grey sedan, then fled north on Talman after the robbery. No one was injured, but the family has been traumatized by the loss of their pet.

"It kind of breaks my heart. I'm not looking to press charges. I just want the dog back," the owner said.

Police were able to locate the stolen car and said the driver led them on a high speed chase for about half an hour before eventually crashing. Police said they took the driver, a 15-year-old boy, into custody and he refused to tell them where the dog was.