S.F. crooks use dog as lever

(11-27) 15:01 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- A trio of robbers briefly held a dog as ransom in an apartment in San Francisco's Tenderloin, threatening to harm the canine if its owner didn't hand over cash and prescription pills, police said.

The suspects - a man and two women - raided the apartment on the 100 block of Taylor Street around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Officer Albie Esparza said.

The victim, a 65-year-old woman, opened the door after she heard loud knocking. The three suspects said she owed them money even though they were strangers, Esparza said, and barreled past her.

One of the suspects then picked up the dog, Esparza said. He didn't know the breed.

"After one of the suspects grabbed the dog, they demanded money and prescription pills," Esparza said. "So she gave it to them, and the dog was not harmed."

The suspects remained at large Wednesday, Esparza said.

One was described as an African American woman between 25 and 35, who had red hair, a blue beanie and a black jacket that read "San Francisco."

A second female suspect was described as black, between 25 and 35, standing 5-foot-2 and weighing 120 pounds. She had short hair and a black leather jacket.

The third suspect was described as a black man between 35 and 45, standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 180 pounds. He wore a gray hoodie over a black hoodie, along with blue jeans and red shoes.

Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call the Police Department's anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or send a tip by text message to TIP411 with "SFPD" in the message.