Given the vast number of cats available for adoption in San Francisco, who on earth would you 1) go all the way to San Bruno then 2) pepper-spray someone to steal a cat? Those are but some of the questions I have for a San Francisco couple who police say did just that on Saturday.
According to a press release from the San Bruno Police Department, at 7:22 p.m. on September 23, officers were called to a home on the 1000 block of National Avenue, which people from outside San Bruno might recognize as just behind that big Tanforan mall with the two-story Target.
When they arrived, police were told that two suspects entered an apartment, pepper-sprayed the resident, and "forcefully stole a pet cat."
San Bruno police say that they worked with the San Francisco Police Department to track down the suspects in the catnapping, and arrested them right here in SF. They have been identified as a 26-year-old man named Oleksandr Mirza and a 26-year-old woman named Ching Yen, both SF residents.
Further information, such as any possible motive behind the theft, was not released to the public as of Wednesday morning. Police do say that the investigation is ongoing, and that anyone with information related to the case should contact the San Bruno Police Department at (650) 616-7100 or by email at [email protected].
Police do confirm that both Mirza and Yen were booked into San Mateo County Jail for "charges related to robbery, burglary, unlawful use of tear gas, and conspiracy." According to a San Mateo County Sheriff's Department spokesperson, Mirza and Yen remain in custody as of publication time. A date for their initial court appearance is as yet unknown.
