Panoram City’s family generally asks additional support to find the beloved turtle stolen on the weekend.
Gustavo Mendoza told KTLA that a “heartless, evil man” stole the creature from his home on Brimfield Avenue near Cantara Street on Sunday between 3 and 4 p.m.
Mendoza said thieves have also been seen abusing the turtles.
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A video sent by Mendoza shows the suspect sticking his hand through the property’s main gate, using a stick to flip the turtle onto its shell, and then violently lifting it over the gate.
Once at the top of the gate, he was seen tossing the turtle into the air and letting it fall to the ground before driving it out of the camera’s view.
A Panorama City family is pleading for the return of a stolen turtle photographed on Nov. 3, 2024. (Family Photo) A Panorama City family is pleading for the return of a stolen turtle photographed on Nov. 3, 2024. November 3, 2024. (Family Photo) A Panorama City family pleads for the return of a stolen turtle pictured on Nov. 3, 2024. (Family photo)
The turtle’s owner, Jennifer Tapia, said she and her family regularly keep the turtle outside. Her family went looking for her on Sunday afternoon, and although Tapia said she usually hides “because that’s what turtles do,” the family quickly realized something was wrong.
“I looked at the surveillance footage because I couldn’t find her anywhere,” Tapia told KTLA Monday morning. “I saw a man who came to pick up her quite abused and kicked her.”
“We’re just scared because we don’t know who it is…if it’s our neighbor,” Tapia added. “It’s sad to see something like this happen in our community and to know that someone could do something like this to an animal.”
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According to Tapia, the protected turtles have been kept by their families for five years. They also have another one that was hidden at the time of the theft.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of the turtle or the suspect is encouraged to contact police.
Nancy Fontan and KTLA Photo Journalist Chris Alciaga have contributed to this report.
