A social media star famous for the work he puts into his cars is going viral for the work he put into saving a dog after his owner was killed.
When a hit-and-run driver plowed into a cyclist in Watts on Aug. 18, that driver shattered more than one life. Leaving the cyclist dead and his four-legged companion alone in the world.
“He kind of just paced around the canopy where they had his owner’s body,” said social media star Alex Choi. “Just started howling and whining, it was really sad.”
The social media influencer is popular for car content, but also shoots breaking news scenes. He says he came out to the hit-and-run investigation, and after asking around, determined the dog belonged to a man believed to be homeless.
Choi decided he would help the distraught dog and take him in.
“It took a lot of convincing at the scene of the accident for him to come with me,” said Choi. “I feel like he thought I was kidnapping him.
But the pup’s troubles wouldn’t end there. After being taken to Choi’s home, he escaped the same day.
Choi believes the dog was trying to get back to his owner, showing a trait closely associated with the Akita breed: loyalty.
The dog was found two weeks after his escape by community members and now hardly lets Choi out of his sight. But much about him remains a mystery, even his name.
“I just have to whistle or just yell dawg, ‘d-a-w-g,’ dawg!” said Choi.
The next chapter for the dog? finding him a home. Choi’s three other dogs are not warming up to the new rescue, but at this point, he says he can’t bear to see them go to a stranger
“I’m trying to convince one of my friends to take him, maybe if this story comes out, one of my closer friends,” said Choi.
Recently, the YouTuber had charges dismissed by the U.S. attorney’s office stemming from a video Choi posted around July 4, 2023, titled “Destroying a Lamborghini With Fireworks,” that showed two women shooting fireworks out of a helicopter at a Lamborghini in a social media stunt.