Puppy stolen in San Francisco auto burglary reunited with owners

SAN FRANCISCO - A 4-month-old Maltese puppy taken earlier this week during an auto burglary in downtown San Francisco was safely home on Saturday morning, police said.

A Richmond resident who purchased the puppy in the Tenderloin discovered that the dog had been stolen after posting photos on social media, police said.

Images of the stolen puppy, named Scruggs, had been published on numerous sites since the dog was stolen on Monday morning from a car parked in the 200 block of Sutter Street in San Francisco.

Police helped to reunite Scruggs with his owners and said the puppy appeared to be in good health.

Investigators using surveillance video identified the suspect as Viengphet Sasone, 43, and he was arrested on Thursday. Sasone refused to reveal Scruggs' location to investigators, according to police.