The man who claims to have found Daniel Sturridge’s dog with his nephew has said that they did not get the $30,000 promised reward.
The former Liverpool Striker, 29, offered the sum on Instagram for his Pomeranian Lucky Lucci, after being left distraught when the pet was kidnapped from his $1.5million Los Angeles mansion on Monday night.
The following evening, however, Sturridge headed down to south LA with friends to collect the prized pooch after the canine was found.
However, after this trip, rapper Killa Fame, who claims to have found the dog, tweeted that he received no ‘sizeable reward’.
‘So dishonest’, he tweeted, ‘found dog Lucci by me and my nephew’.
‘$30,000 was just a lie’, he also said before adding, ‘If I was white, I would of got the reward!’
Daniel Sturridge has taken to Instagram to thanks fans after he was today reunited with his dog
The former Liverpool striker was left distraught after Lucci was snatched at his home in LA
Sturridge has now been reunited with his beloved dog, (which he is seen holding on the left). It came as rapper Killa Fame posted a photo of a young boy believed to be a relative holding a dog resembling Sturridge’s
The rapper asked ‘is this Lucci’ and posted several images of the dog being held in a car seat
Killa Fame later tweeted the footballer saying, ‘Man I got him’. It is unclear whether he was involved in his return. LAPD do not believe the person who returned it was associated with the crime
Forensic police officers were seen today outside Sturridge’s West Hollywood mansion to take prints of his broken door
Messages from Sturridge’s agent uploaded to twitter by the rapper say that Sturridge wanted to ‘express his gratitude’ and ‘make sure you are paid acordingly’.
They also asked for the posts to be removed.
In a video posted on Instagram after collecting the dog, Sturridge said: ‘Good morning everyone. Just want to say we’re waking up to good news that Lucci has officially been brought home. Myself and a few friends went to south LA last night to pick him up.
‘We were told by somebody in LA basically that they had him, they were in south LA on the east side so we drove down there at about 11:30pm last night (Tuesday) and picked him up.
‘Absolutely delighted. Can’t believe it. Just want to say a big thank you to everyone on social media who supported us and raised awareness to the case of what was going on and I’m so thankful to all of the fans around the world, all the influencers, celebrates, general people and media.’
A LAPD officer takes a case from out of her truck as she heads for Sturridge’s West Hollywood mansion
The £30,000 Pomeranian pictured by Sturridge in an appeal he sent out the morning before the dog’s return
‘He’s still out there somewhere… everyone please help bring my dog home,’ the football wrote this morning before the dog was recovered
Sturridge urged anyone with information to contact him as he posted a video of the dog on Instagram yesterday. It has since been found
His Los Angeles home has been raided overnight, with thieves taking the dog via the back door
Sturridge then posted a photo of happy-looking Lucci playing with a toy on the balcony of his house.
Yesterday, officers pulled up at the Premier League star’s West Hollywood mansion to take DNA prints from his back door, which was smashed to pieces by thieves.
‘If anyone has any information please contact us ASAP,’ he wrote. ‘A sizeable reward will be organized. We just want the dog back. Send a video of him and we can talk. Dog was stolen from West Hollywood at 11:30 last night.’
But it emerged that the dog has been returned after a deal brokered on social media. LAPD do not believe the person who returned it was associated with the crime.
Earlier a rapper, called Killa Fame, posted photos of a young boy believed to be his relative holding a dog which had the same markings as Sturridge’s. He later tweeted the footballer saying, ‘Man I got him’.
In a video he posted, the boy can be seen holding the pet as a man off camera says, ‘Mr, I found your dog. Here it is right here Mr Sturridge, I got the dog right here. You need your dog, I got the dog right now. Here you go, look.’
It is unclear whether the rapper was involved in the dog’s return or whether any money changed hands.
Pictures taken today show the back door of Daniel Sturridge’s home smashed to pieces
Sturridge’s pet (which was taken from his house, pictured) is an extremely rare breed
Aerial images show the size of the former Liverpool player’s mansion in West Hollywood
A photograph of the dog, known as Lucky Lucci, uploaded to Instagram on Monday afternoon
Sturridge previously uploaded an emotional video of himself showing his followers the smashed glass door and pleading for the safe return of his beloved pet — believed to be the only one of its kind in the world.
In an earlier appeal to those watching on social media, Sturridge said: ‘Listen, someone has broken into the house in LA, took my dog from the house. Listen, whoever knows who broke into my crib, I’ll pay you anything, I’m dead serious.
‘I wanna know who took my s***. I wanna know what’s went on. I wanna know why they took my dog. I wanna know why they took bags from upstairs.
I wanna know what the f**** going on. How can you break into someone’s house in LA and take a dog? Are you crazy? You break into a house and take a dog?
‘Yo, somebody please find my dog, I’ll pay anything, I’m dead serious.’
Offering payment in another video, he said: ‘Whoever brings my dog back, 20 grand, straight up. Straight up. 20 Gs. 30 Gs, whatever. Bring my dog back. Bring my dog back to this house, I am moving out of this b**** anyway.
Sturridge also uploaded a video to his social media showing three hooded men near his house
The house Sturridge has been staying in, from where the dog was stolen on Monday night
‘Bring the dog back to this address. I’ll be moving out tomorrow or the next day. I want my dog back and I’ll pay whatever, it don’t matter, it don’t matter the cost. 20 or 30 grand, bring my dog back.
‘You aren’t going to get more than that anyway, and if you are, let me know and I’ll pay more than them. I want my dog back.’
In a further video, Sturridge added: ‘Bro, they’ve took my dog, they’ve took two or three bags from my house. They’ve jumped over the fence.
‘We’re in Los Angeles, West Hollywood. Look, my shirt’s on the floor. They’ve jumped over the fence. Whoever is so ballsy to come and take my dog, look we can get you money, it’s not about the money.
He showed his shirt lying on the floor just outside his house, with thieves having stolen bags
Sturridge put out a further appeal and said he would pay more than anyone else for his dog
‘If you’re trying to make money, come back and we’ll pay you for the dog fam, it’s nothing. Don’t go selling my dog to someone else, we’ll pay more. It’s as simple as that.
‘Come back to the crib, bring the dog back, organise it however you want to organise it.
‘I want the dog back, we’ll pay anything for the dog.’
And on his social media story, he continued: ‘It’s a Monday, fam. Who was at the house at 11.30? We’ve been away for two hours. It doesn’t make any sense.
‘Someone find my dog please. Like I said before, I’ll pay anything. It’s not about the money. I just want my dog, simple as that.’
In an emotional caption, he also wrote: ‘Somebody stole my dog. I’ll pay anything. I want him back.’
Sturridge added: ‘I’ll pay anything. It’s not about the money. I just want my dog’
The dog is a Pomeranian with husky markings — supposedly the only one in the world
A photograph of the dog uploaded to its Instagram account — it has over 2,800 followers
Sturridge has owned the dog for at least a year and a half and keeps an Instagram account exclusively dedicated to pictures of the animal — which has over 2,800 followers.
The footballer ended his time with Liverpool — where he earned around £120,000 a week — after winning the Champions League at the end of last season. He is currently on the lookout for a new club.
The striker, who has 26 caps for the England national team, has spent a chunk of his summer in Los Angeles as he prepares for the new season.
Sturridge last played for Liverpool in Premier League and is currently looking for a new club
Sturridge (bottom centre) was part of the squad that won the Champions League last season
Sturridge pictured playing for the England national team in 2016 — he has 26 senior caps