Los Angeles family pleading for return of stolen tortoise 

A family from Panorama City is turning to the public for additional help in finding their beloved tortoise that was stolen over the weekend. 

Gustavo Mendoza told KTLA that a “heartless and evil man” stole the creature between 3 and 4 p.m. Sunday at their residence on Brimfield Avenue near Cantara Street.

The thief was also seen abusing the tortoise, Mendoza stated. 

Video sent in by Mendoza shows the suspect sticking his hands through the front gate of the property and using a stick to flip the tortoise onto its shell before lifting it up and over the gate violently. 

Upon getting to the top of the gate, he is seen throwing the tortoise into the air and letting it fall onto the ground before kicking it out of the view of the camera. 

Jennifer Tapia, also an owner of the tortoise, says that she and her family keep their tortoises outside regularly. They went to look for her on Sunday afternoon, and while Tapia says the tortoise normally goes into hiding because “that’s what tortoises do,” the family quickly realized something was amiss. 

“We couldn’t find her anywhere, so we looked at our surveillance footage,” Tapia told KTLA on Monday morning. “We saw this guy that picked her up, and he pretty much abused her and was kicking her around.” 

“We’re just scared because we don’t know who it is…if it’s one of our neighbors,” Tapia added. “It’s sad to know that this is happening in our community and that someone could do this to an animal.” 

The tortoise, which was a rescue, has been in the family’s possession for five years, Tapia said. They also have another one, which was hiding at the time of the theft. 

Anyone with information surrounding the whereabouts of the tortoise or the suspect is encouraged to contact police.

Nancy Fontan and KTLA photojournalist Kris Arciaga contributed to this report.