Puppy in Designer Handbag Thrown From Car During Police Chase

As Los Angeles police officers chased a carjacking suspect Friday, a puppy that had been placed in a designer bag was suddenly tossed from the car window—and somehow survived the ordeal. Officers started chasing a Chevy Avalanche around noon; the driver was wanted in connection with a March 26 attempted murder and carjacking, Fox 11 reports. During the chase, the Chevy hit another vehicle. About an hour into the pursuit, the Chevy slowed and two female passengers fled on foot while the driver abandoned the Chevy to get in another vehicle that had apparently been waiting for him, CBS LA reports.

It was during the second leg of the chase that the puppy was tossed from the window. LAPD officers rescued the dog, and it's currently in the care of South LA Animal Services pending "an investigation into the abandonment concern," the LAPD PIO tweeted. Ultimately, the getaway vehicle stopped in a residential area and both the original suspect and the female driver of the second vehicle ran. The male soon surrendered and both were taken into custody. Gustavo Alvarez, 27, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and carjacking; Lynette Moreno, 27, was arrested on suspicion of arranging for the getaway vehicle; Michelle Zamudio, 25, was arrested on suspicion of evading for allegedly driving the getaway vehicle. (More Los Angeles stories.)