Charges: Mom, daughter injured trying to recover stolen dog

MINNEAPOLIS - After posting a $100 reward for their lost dog, a mother and daughter met up with a pair of strangers to swap money for their pet. But what was supposed to be a smooth exchange turned into a hit-and-run that landed the mother in the hospital and left her daughter bruised and battered.

On Tuesday afternoon, the mother and daughter agreed to meet with complete strangers Antwaune Michael Gray and Sharon Khakai Luvisia at Wells Fargo on 615 N. 7th St. in Minneapolis to swap a small reward for their missing dog, according to the criminal complaint.

However, Luvisia and Gray arrived with another male and female and instead demanded the daughter pay them more than the $100 reward to get her dog back. When the daughter refused, the couple tried to take off with the dog.

The daughter then tried to grab her dog from the SUV the two were in. A toddler was in the back seat. Gray pulled a gun from a baby blanket, but accidentally dropped it.

The daughter eventually set her beloved dog free after Luvisia and her friend proceeded to punch the daughter in the eye

But the altercation didn’t end there. The couple then ran the mom over with the SUV. Police were dispatched to the site of the incident around 3:12 p.m., where they encountered the mom in obvious pain. She suffered several pelvic fractures and hospitalized.

Luvisia and Gray were still on the scene when police arrived. The victims identified them as their attackers and the couple was subsequently arrested.

Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek says in situations like this it’s best to get police involved before making any kind of exchange. Designated public places where you can make safe exchanges with strangers, called “swap spots,” are located throughout Hennepin County. A list of the “swap spots” can be found here.

“Nothing’s ever a guarantee, but you know the chances of it happening in a police or sheriff's office parking lot like the places we've set up in Hennepin County? Virtually nil,” Stanek says.

A list of the Hennepin County’s designated “swap spots” can be found here.