Police bloodhound sniffs out robbery suspect in Torrance

A Torrance Police Department K-9 is being credited with tracking down a robbery suspect who allegedly stole an expensive bottle of alcohol from a local business.

It happened Tuesday just before noon at a business on the 3400 block of Torrance Boulevard.

According to police officials, a woman entered the business and asked the employee if she could look at a bottle of alcohol. When the employee held it out, she allegedly grabbed the bottle and the two struggled over it.

The suspect eventually got free of the employee and ran out of the store with the bottle in hand. The employee was uninjured, but police said their “life was threatened during the incident.”

Torrance police responded to the scene, but were unable to immediately locate the woman.

Officers in a remote response center were able to access nearby security footage and get a better idea of where the woman fled. That’s when Torrance Police Officer Rachel Couto and her partner Tango were dispatched to the scene.

Tango is a trained bloodhound with “incredible scent-tracking skills.” Bloodhounds have more than 200 million olfactory cells in their noses and are capable of following scent trails that are more than a week old.

Tango was able to pick up the suspect’s scent and led officers to her hiding spot in a “low-trafficked area.” She was taken into custody without further incident, police said.

Speaking on behalf of Tango, police officials said the public is urged to help maintain public safety by reporting suspicious activity when they see it.

“See something, say something,” police said.

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