Last Friday, a small dog named “Mookie” was stolen out of a vehicle in the University Town Center parking lot in Irvine. Irvine Police detectives located video that showed a man walk up to the victim’s vehicle and remove the dog through an open window.

The victim posted about it on a pet recovery website which prompted the suspect to contact the victim.

He claimed his roommate came home with a dog matching Mookie’s description and would return it for a small fee. The two agreed to meet to make the exchange. Once the suspect arrived with Mookie, detectives arrested him for grand theft and the happy pup was returned to his owner.

The suspect was identified as Earl Choi, 38, of Fullerton.