A man who was being held in a Los Angeles County jail for suspicion of shooting Lady Gaga’s dog walker and stealing her pets had been accidentally released due to a “clerical” error. He was loose for five months.
James Howard Jackson, 19, was re-arrested August 3, after having been erroneously released from jail five months ago, the county Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.
Five people, including Jackson, were arrested in connection with the February 2021 attack on the dog walker.
While Jackson was out of jail, the US Marshals Service offered a $5,000 reward last month for his capture.
Another man involved in the attack, Jaylin Keyshawn White, 20, was sentenced to four years in state prison, according to Deputy District Attorney Michele Hanisee.
Prosecutors are saying that Jackson and other gang members were casing out the neighborhood near the famous Sunset Boulevard, looking for expensive French bulldogs to steal.
They followed and robbed Ryan Fischer, who was walking Lady Gaga’s dogs Asia, Koji and Gustav.
Fischer and the attackers got into a struggle and Fischer was choked and shot. A neighborhood doorbell camera video footage showed evidence of the attack.
The video shows Fischer screaming, “Oh, my God! I’ve been shot!” and “Help me!” and “I’m bleeding out from my chest!”
Lady Gaga’s dogs were stolen but were returned a couple of days later by a woman who said she found them tied to a pole and inquired about Gaga’s $500,000 reward.
The woman allegedly received the dogs from the thieves and was charged with receiving stolen property.
Jackson pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and conspiracy to commit a robbery and assault with a semiautomatic firearm.
The dog walker reports he is recovering.
