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Puppy Stolen From Man Held at Knifepoint on Orange Line, Police Say

 This puppy was stolen from a man at knifepoint on the Orange Line Wednesday. The thief (pictured here) attempted to sell the pup on the train, according to a witness.
Stolen Puppy
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CHICAGO — A man was held at knifepoint while two thieves stole his puppy on the Orange Line, police say, and another man said he later saw a man trying to sell a puppy on the train.

The victim was on the CTA Orange Line late Wednesday with his 8-month-old, black and white dog, who was in a carrier, said Officer Ana Pacheco, Chicago Police spokeswoman. Two men walked up to the victim and one threatened him with a knife while the other man took the victim's dog carrier from a seat, Pacheco said.

The men got off the train at the 35th and Archer stop. The victim chased them, but they escaped, Pacheco said.

The thieves were last seen running southwest on Archer Avenue, Pacheco said. Police searched the area but were not able to find anything, Pacheco said.

Chris Abair said he was sitting on the Orange Line about 11:30 p.m. when a man got on and started trying to sell a black and white puppy in a duffel bag to other riders for $500. The puppy was whimpering, Abair said.

"It was devastating to see the poor puppy ...," Abair said.

Abair, worried about the puppy's safety, tried to offer the man $100, which was all the money he had, but the man refused and insisted the dog was a special breed and he wanted $500 cash.

Abair said he begged the man to accept his offer, and the man became angry and threw the duffel bag with the puppy to the ground. Abair took photos of the puppy in the bag on the floor.

Other riders stared in shock, Abair said, and the man got out at the next stop and went to another car.

Abair said he "felt helpless" and got off at the line's Roosevelt stop. He tried to contact a CTA hotline, but he was told they couldn't do anything, he said. Abair did not know at the time a puppy had been stolen on the Orange Line earlier in the night.

The man selling the dog was black and had shoulder-length dreadlocks, Abair said. He was about 6 feet tall, weighed 180 pounds and was wearing a white T-shirt with "Department of Corrections" on the back, jeans and loafers, Abair said.

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