By Tom LeVeque, from the Arcadia Police Dept.
A three-legged dog happened to be in a car stolen from the Westfield Santa Anita Mall parking lot on Monday night, September 30.
The dog either got out, or was abandoned in the area, shortly after the car was stolen. The small furry victim was found by a good Samaritan on Baldwin Avenue, south of Huntington Drive, at about 8:20 p.m.
Thanks to an article in the Pasadena Star-News posted Oct. 2, the good Samaritan reached out to a Detective at the Arcadia Police Department believing the dog he found was indeed the same dog stolen on Monday night. Detective Mike Hale arranged for the dog owner and good Samaritan to meet at APD Wednesday afternoon.
When the dog owner called to "Luna", the good Samaritan set the three-legged schnauzer down and Luna ran across the grass in front of APD to her happy owner. The stolen car had been recovered within a couple of hours Monday night in Bell Gardens. Some personal items and the keys were not found with the vehicle and no suspects were taken into custody.