Local News in Brief : Westminster : Police Dog Helps Find Robbery Suspect

Los Angeles sheriff’s deputies used a police dog to help find a Westminster man after he allegedly robbed a Hacienda Heights bank, drove off in a car then ran off and hid in thick brush, a sheriff’s spokesman said Wednesday.

Ronald Mendoza, 25, was arrested on suspicion of robbing a Republic Federal Savings Bank in Hacienda Heights about 10:55 a.m., the sheriff’s spokesman said.

Deputies said Mendoza allegedly received about $700 after he gave a note to a cashier.

Witnesses gave deputies a description of the getaway car and its license plate number, which were broadcast on an emergency channel. A sheriff’s deputy heard the broadcast and pursued the car into Whittier, but the suspect ran off into hilly terrain.

A police dog was requested and, after several hours, found Mendoza hiding in the brush, deputies said.

The suspect was taken to Queen of the Valley Hospital and treated for dog bites on his shoulder. He was later booked on suspicion of robbery at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center.