Burglars hold gun to dog’s head during home invasion, police say

Two men were arrested after holding a gun to a dog’s head during a home invasion burglary, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department.

The homeowner offered surveillance video of the north Sacramento home invasion, which occurred in February, to the Sheriff’s Department. The video revealed that the burglar was armed with a handgun and at one point held the gun to the head of the homeowner’s dog. The dog was unhurt, but the burglar took multiple items from the house before leaving in a vehicle.

After an investigation, officials identified two men in connection with the burglary. While preparing to serve a search warrant at a residence in north Sacramento on Thursday, one of the suspects left the property in a car, authorities said.

After a short pursuit, investigators detained the driver and found a child in the vehicle. The Sheriff’s Department thinks the man was taking the child — who was not harmed — to a family member.

The driver was identified as 39-year-old Jose Smith of Sacramento. He was booked at the Sacramento County Main Jail on charges that included the receipt of stolen property, burglary, being a felon in possession of a firearm and child endangerment. His bail has been set at $1.1 million.

The second suspect, 40-year-old Anthony Mosqueda, also of Sacramento, was already in custody on unrelated charges. He was charged with violating his probation and conspiracy to commit burglary. He also is being held at the Sacramento County Main Jail with bail set at $90,000.

colleen.shalby@latimes.com

@cshalby