Woman Robbery Suspect Bitten by Police Dog
An 18-year-old North Hollywood woman suspected of armed robbery was bitten by a police dog when she was arrested early Sunday, authorities said.
Rayda Lopez was bitten when police arrested her shortly after 1:30 a.m. in Lake View Terrace near the intersection of Van Nuys Boulevard and Fenton Avenue, police said.
Los Angeles police said Lopez, a passenger in a car believed stolen, was bitten in the left calf as she fled the scene. Lopez told police that her boyfriend, who was driving, stopped the car after a police chase and instructed her to run. She told authorities she was not armed, but ran and was attacked by the dog.
Lopez, whose injury apparently was not severe, was booked into the Van Nuys jail on suspicion of armed robbery and was being held Sunday in lieu of $35,000 bail, police said.
The Los Angeles Police Department’s use of dogs has come under attack in numerous lawsuits. The Los Angeles Police Commission is currently conducting an investigation into a 1989 videotape shot by police officers that shows an unarmed auto theft suspect being attacked by a police dog.
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