5 arrested in shooting of Lady Gaga’s dogwalker and theft of her bulldogs in L.A.

When a middle-aged woman walked into a Los Angeles police station with two of Lady Gaga’s French bulldogs in late February, she claimed she had simply come across the dogs tied to a pole, police said at the time.

She also inquired about a $500,000 reward the singer had offered for their return, according to police.

Detectives remained mum as speculation, fueled by the pop star’s worldwide popularity, swirled over whether the woman really was a good Samaritan or was linked to the brazen robbery of the dogs during a nearly fatal shooting of Lady Gaga’s dogwalker a few nights prior.

Prosecutors and police shed some light on the mystery Thursday, when they announced the arrests and criminal charges of five people in connection with the shooting. One of those taken into custody was 50-year-old Jennifer McBride, the woman who’d turned up with the dogs.

McBride, the Los Angeles Police Department said, was in a relationship with Harold White, 40, the father of one of the men accused of assaulting Ryan Fischer, the dogwalker. Both McBride and White now face charges that they were accessories to the Feb. 24 shooting and robbery.

White’s son, Jaylin White, 19, along with James Jackson, 18, and Lafayette Whaley, 27, have been charged with attempted murder and several other felonies stemming from the attack, police said.

In a statement, the LAPD said detectives “do not believe the suspects were targeting the victim because of the dogs’ owner,” but instead “knew the great value of the breed of dogs.”

None of the five charged in the case could be reached for comment.

Fischer was walking Lady Gaga’s three bulldogs about 9:40 p.m. in the 1500 block of Sierra Bonita Avenue in Hollywood when a car pulled up and two men jumped out.

Fischer resisted when the men tried to snatch the dogs and was shot in the chest. The assailants took two of the dogs and escaped. Fischer has since been released from the hospital.

Jackson stands accused of pulling the trigger, according to prosecutors. In addition to attempted murder, he has been charged with assault with a semiautomatic firearm, being a felon in possession of a firearm in a vehicle, conspiracy to commit robbery and second-degree robbery.

Whaley also faces charges of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit robbery and second-degree robbery, prosecutors said. In addition to those charges, Jaylin White faces a charge of assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury, prosecutors said.

“This was a brazen street crime that left a man seriously wounded,” L.A. County Dist. Atty. George Gascón said.

The arrests came after officers served several search and arrest warrants in the case, police said.

Representatives for the singer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Fischer has thanked the singer for her support since the shooting, including in social media posts in which he recounted the harrowing attack and described difficulties in his physical therapy and recovery.