Dogs Assist in Arrest of 2 Robbery Suspects
Two men suspected of a string of recent San Fernando Valley convenience store robberies were arrested Friday in Granada Hills by sheriff’s deputies who tracked them down with dogs after a failed robbery in La Canada Flintridge.
Arrested were Ralph Cruz, 23, and James Bailey, 24, of Pacoima. They were treated at USC Medical Center for dog bites on the head and arms. Bailey was reported in stable condition at the hospital. Cruz was being held at the County Jail, a sheriff’s detective said.
They were arrested on suspicion of auto theft and attempted robbery. Bail was set at $11,000 apiece, said Detective Marvin Cheyno of the Sheriff’s Department.
The two allegedly used a stolen car when they went to a gas station mini-mart on Angeles Crest Highway near the Foothill Freeway in La Canada Flintridge just after midnight.
They reportedly tried to break down a door at the locked mini-mart. A gas station attendant who was inside the building called police.
Cheyno said deputies patrolling the Foothill Freeway sighted the suspects, who pulled their car into a parking lot in the 11000 block of Orion Avenue and tried to escape on foot. Two police dogs tracked them down and bit them.
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