Jane Fonda’s Pet Unwitting Dupe : ‘Taxi’ Is No Doggone Criminal

Taxi, actress Jane Fonda’s black Labrador retriever, was only going out for a steak.

Instead, he found himself an unwilling accomplice in a spree of robberies in Santa Monica, Detective John Hudson said Friday.

Snatched Off the Street

“He dug his way out from under the fence because he wanted to go out to dinner,” Assemblyman Tom Hayden (D-Santa Monica), Fonda’s husband, said. “But before he could find a restaurant that would seat him, he was picked up by a marauding gang.”

Four people--one adult and three teen-agers--snatched the dog off a street near the beach and, between 11 p.m. and midnight Thursday, committed at least six street robberies in the Santa Monica area, armed only with a plastic handgun, police said.

Investigators said they did not know if the dog actually helped commit the crimes.

“We’re not going to stick him in a lineup,” Hudson said of Taxi.

Four suspects were arrested early Friday for investigation of the robberies.

Sent to Shelter

The dog was sent to the Santa Monica Animal Shelter, where he was identified Friday morning by the caretaker of Hayden’s and Fonda’s house.

“The police say that he’s not talking,” Hayden said. “I understand that as soon as he is photographed and fingerprinted, Taxi will be released.

“Taxi is innocent--he was obviously dognaped,” the assemblyman added. “Some people are already comparing Taxi to Patty Hearst, but I think that as soon as he knew what was going on, he let the police know--somehow.”